The Dark Turtle
by LadyDragonRain
Summary: After being injured and put into a coma during a fight,Don wakes up very, very different. My version of the Old Toon Dark Turtle Story, Set in the New Toon verse. Donatello centric.OC character death, character peril, angst and language
1. The accident

_Disclaimer: The TMNT and other characters shown in the TMNT Cartoons are registered trademarks of Mirage Studios USA. Based on characters and comic books created by Peter A. Laird and Kevin B. Eastman._

_I mean no copyright infringement._

_Batman, Iron Man and other such super heros are tradmarks of DC and Marvel respectively. In this story I make use of the concept of the Dark Turtle, from the original cartoon episode The Night of the Dark Turtle, Written by: David Wise. This story is however my take on the Dark Turtle concept and is in no way meant as a copy of said episode storyline. I mean no plagarism._

_This story contains scenes of violence, and serious injury, character peril. There is also some bad langauge and minor OC character death._

Author's notes: This story is set generally after Shredder Strikes Back, but before the City at War arc..IE Karai hasn't arrived yet. It is not mean to be seen as part of continuity but as a sort of 'what if' kind of thing. I've taken a few liberties with parts of the city, especially the power plant. Just go with it huh? ;)

Donatello centric ( who else? G): My take on the Dark Turtle story.

* * *

"Please Donnie?"

"No."

"But you gotta, come on!"

"Mike I said no, I'm very busy now."

"But you know how to make all kinds of cool gadgets and stuff."

"Mike.."

"You'll be the Robin to my Batman.."

"What?"

"Uh..a really smart Robin?"

Donatello looked up at the sheepish look on his orange masked brother's face and rolled his eyes." Please, if I'm anyone I'm closer to Batman, and you're closer to Robin."

"Then you can dress up in a costume too, and we can both swing around the city and we can try out those really neat gadgets that you're going to make for us." Mike said his eyes alight with hope his face split with his typical Mikey smile.

Don shook his head." Please, me? Running around the city in some goofy costume? Forget it Mike. Besides I thought you gave up all that Turtle Titan stuff."

"I did but I found the costume in my room while I was doing some spring cleaning.."

"It's the summer Mike.."

"Summer cleaning then. Anyways I found it and I just wanted to take it for one more spin before I put it away for good; but then I thought, what would be cooler than trying out my costume along with few gadgets made by my loving brother Donnie to make it even cooler!" Mike said managing to get the whole sentence out in one breath.

Don blinked at Mike for a few seconds then went back to work on what he was doing.

"What ever possessed you to clean your room anyway Mike?" he said without looking up, trying to move the subject away from mentions of gadgets and costumes.

"Sensei made me, all right..stop changing the subject." Mike insisted crossing his arms across his plastron.

" Look Mikey, I told you..I'm busy. I can't help you and there's nothing you can do or say that is going to change my mind." Don said looking back up at his brother sternly.

Mikey raised one eye ridge and gave a nasty grin.

For the next two days Donatello had a second shadow in the form of a certain younger brother named Michalangelo. Whatever Donnie did, wherever he was; Mikey was there staring at him, grinning at him, watching every move he made. He wasn't even safe in the bathroom, every time he did his business, took a shower, or brushed his teeth Mikey was standing just outside the door waiting for Don to come back out again. Reasoning with his youngest brother had no affect, nor did pleading, threatening, or even yelling. Mikey would just stand there in front of him, a big goofy grin plastered on his face, eyes wide and stare at him. By the end of the second day Don was starting to look a little worn at the seams, and every once in awhile his right eye would twitch.

Leo and Raph watched with sympathy (and in Raph's case great amusement.) They tried once to talk Mikey out of what he was doing but Mikey was absolutely determined get what he wanted out of his brainy brother. No amount of reasoning would deter him from his task.. which was annoying the hell out of Donatello.

"I hope you know what you're doing Mikey."Leo said. "If I were you I'd rather not have Donnie mad at me. He is the one that fixes your game guy every time you break it."

"It and just about everything else around here." Raph said rolling his eyes.

"Remember the last time you got him mad? You were scrubbing for weeks to get all that paint off your shell." Leo tried once again.

"Isolated incident, besides I made sure I hid all the paint this time." Mikey grinned.

"Well I hope you remembered to hide every sharp object in the lair, because Mount Donatello looks like he's about to blow." Leo sighed.

"Don't worry guys I know exactly what I'm doing." Mike said with a smug look.

"That'll be a first." Raph snorted.

Finally after two days, Don had enough.

He had been crossing the lair to get to the kitchen for some coffee and the noise of Michalangelo happily trailing along behind him; whistling nonchalantly all the while; had finally strutted over his last nerve. He did a very sudden about face and stood in place his arms crossed across his plastron. Mikey didn't notice that Don had stopped until he walked head first into his very pissed brother.

"Mikey how long are you going to keep doing this?" Don growled his voice taking on a dangerous tone.

Mikey grinned. "It can stop Donnie, it can all go away like it was just a bad dream.."

"You're the bad dream Mikey." Don's eyes narrowed.

Mike ignored that. "It can all go away, all you have to do is help a fellow turtle with a few little gadget problems. See it's that simple."

" Mikey." the name came out as a sigh.

"It's either that or I follow you around the lair for another week." Mike raised an eye ridge.

Don regarded Mike and for a second he contemplated wringing his little brother's neck.. then he decided it would be more exertion than it was worth.

"All right, fine..but only a few gadgets and that's all. And then you will leave me alone.. deal?"

Mikey let out a whoop. " Deal! Wanna dress up in a costume too?"

" Don't push your luck Mikey."

* * *

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this."

Don stood with his arms crossed across his plastron one hand on his face, shaking his head as Mikey leapt from rooftop to rooftop gleefully trying out the various gadgets that Don had created for him.

Mikey came to a rest on the edge of a rooftop, with the moon full and bright in the sky behind him. Noticing it, he grinned and struck a heroic pose.

"This is just great!" He bubbled enthusiastically examining his new utility belt and electrical grappling hook. "You're the best Donnie."

"You're welcome Mikey, can we go now? It's late, I'm hungry, and I've got a ton of things to do."

"But I'm not done yet, I haven't even tested everything." Mikey protested with a pout.

"You can test it tomorrow.." Don started.

The sound of breaking glass interrupted what he was about to say. Both craned their necks towards the sounds of the noise and quickly snuck across the rooftop to try to locate where it had come from. On the other side of the building they spotted three Foot sneaking into a factory through a broken skylight window. They were as silent as shadows and it was all Don and Mikey could do to keep track of them. If it hadn't been for the momentary sound of breaking glass the two turtles wouldn't have known they were there at all.

They watched as the three evil Ninjas slipped inside.

"I wonder what they're up to." Don pondered putting a hand to his chin.

" Let's go find out." Mike said standing and reaching for his grappling hook.

" Wait Mikey, maybe we should call Leo and Raph. I've got a strange feeling about this." Don said putting a restraining hand on Mike's shoulder.

" There's no time Donnie, by the time Raph and Leo get here those Foot could be gone; and they'll have taken whatever it is they came for. What if it's something they need for some diabolical scheme of Shredder's to take over the world?"

Don's frowned. "Well I guess."

"Come on Donnie, we can take three Foot soldiers. I mean they aren't even Elite they're just the regular ones, we can take them in our sleep."

"All right Mikey, we'll go but no heroics okay?" Don gave his brother a stern look.

"Cross my shell, hope to cry." Mikey grinned making a crossing motion across his plastron.

Don rolled his eyes again.

Leaping across to the roof of the factory they found an open skylight. Don knelt by the opening and pointed to a high tech looking piece of machinery that was attached to the rooftop skylight. "This is the latest in security alarms Mikey, it's probably connected to all the doors and windows too. I wonder how they managed to disarm it without setting everything off?"

"Maybe they've got a braniac in their group too." Mike said peering down into the darkness below them. "I don't see anybody moving down there."

"Well we're here, we might as well go in an see what those guys are up to." Don reached into his bag and took out a long length of rope which he handed to his brother.

Mikey secured the rope to a sturdy metal pipe on the roof and both turtles slid down the rope to the factory floor.

"Wow this place is huge." Mikey said looking at all the equipment around them. "I wonder what they make here."

"I can't really tell it's too dark, but there is a lot of heavy duty equipment here, and with that kind of high tech alarm I'm guessing they make something important here. Or at least important enough to try to steal." Don said squinting at the machines in the dark.

"What about security guards, if the alarm was so high tech why isn't this place crawing with security?" Mike asked peering pensively into the darkness around them.

Don shrugged, he looked up and around. "If they found out a way to disable that alarm I don't think they'd have any trouble with ordinary security guards. They are Shredder's Ninja after all." He broke off as his gaze landed on several still forms not far away. He and Mikey ran over to them and found that they were about five uniformed security guards, all very thoroughly unconscious. Don checked for a pulse and found the guards were still alive.

"So much for night security, these guys didn't even see what hit them. From the smell here I'm guessing it could have been some sort of gas." Don sighed shaking his head, then looked up at Mike. "And no gas jokes please."

"I wasn't even thinking about it." Mike said looking innocent.

Don gave him a skeptical look but said nothing.

"Okay…let's find these Foot guys and teach them that breaking and entering doesn't pay." Mike said hiking up his belt and pulling his gloves on tighter.

"I'd rather just keep them from stealing whatever it is they're trying to steal."

"Yeah, that too. What do we do Donnie this place is huge, they could be anywhere." Mike shrugged looking up at the immensity of the building around them.

" I suggest we split up. You head up there…" Don said pointing to some stairs to their right, which led to a large platform coming from the factory walls. It formed a U shape and stuck out a good ways over the factory floor. "And I'll scout down here, if you see anything give a whistle."

Mike saluted " Righteo." then ran for the stairs.

He took them by twos and once on the platform began to quietly creep along it keeping to the shadows. At periodic intervals along the wall were doors, but every time he tried one he found them locked. When he finally reached the center of the U shape he found a large double door, with one of the doors standing wide open. He could hear the sounds of voices coming from beyond the door. As quietly as possible he backed away and turned to whistle for Don only to run face first into his purple masked brother who had just come up behind him.

" Ahh!" Mikey got out a yelp before Don clapped a hand over Mike's mouth.

" Shhh Mikey, do you want them to hear you!" Don hissed in a whisper. He drew his brother into a dark corner and both turned to watch the door in case the evil Ninjas had heard Mike yelp.

When no one came out Don let Mikey's mouth go.

" Geeze Donnie, don't sneak up on me like that. You wanna give a guy a heart attack? How did you get up here so fast?" Mike whispered glaring at his brother.

"There's not that much space down there to search, most of its take up by machines. Besides I figured that if they're breaking in here with only three Foot, then that means what they're after is either small enough for three of them to carry or not important enough to send a whole troop of them. Everything down there is much too big to be carried out by only three humans." Don led Mike to the railing where he gestured to the grand expanse of machinery below them.

"So that means that whatever they're after is something smaller, easier to carry." Mike mused.

" It's the biggest possibility. Although it's not their usual fare they could also be here simply to steal money." Don shrugged.

" Pfft, money? That's so cliché" Mike objected distastefully. " It's gotta be some strange dangerous new invention or an amulet or…"he leaned a bit further over the railing only to have Don yank him backwards.

" Mike, keep away from the railing. That machine down there produces a lot of power for something, I saw from the floor below that it has a high voltage warning label on it. There's no telling what would happen to you if you fell on it." Don warned.

" Me, fall? Please. I'm a Ninja.." Mike began, a bit too loudly.

" Mikey shhh."

They heard noise and turned to see the three Foot coming out of the door, and Mikey's last statement had drawn their attention to the fact that they were no longer alone in the building.

They were each carrying sacks and one was carrying a sort of metal glove or gauntlet that looked like it came from a suit of armor. It seemed to be made of a strange metal, and shined with an eerie light all on its own.

"Hold it right there evil doers!" Mikey called drawing his Nunchuku.

Beside him Don shook his head in exasperation at Mike's theatrics and drew his Bo.

"The turtles!" one exclaimed, dropping his bag and drawing his weapons, and the second followed suit. The third, who appeared to be the leader, didn't seem as concerned as his fellow soldiers. He looked Mikey and his Turtle Titan costume up and down and gave a mocking laugh. "As if you weren't enough of a freak, you have to dress up in spandex and a cape now?"

" That's funny coming from a guy who wears his pajamas 24/7." Mikey said sarcastically.

The leader made a gesture and the other two Foot leapt into the air towards Mike and Don. Mike slid under the attack of the Foot attacking him and in a quick motion swept the evil Ninja's feet out from under him as soon as he landed. " Come on, you gotta give me something more challenging than this. I'm about to fall asleep here."

"I'll put you to sleep permanently you three fingered freak!" Mikey's Foot Soldier growled. He was quickly back on his feet and attacked Mikey head on pinning the masked turtle against the railing, his hands going for Mikey's throat.

Don in turn met his attacking Ninja with a kick to the chest in mid-air, sending his attacker flying backwards into a wall. "Don't get cocky Mikey, my turtle sense is tingling something's wrong here!" he called as the Ninja pulled himself up from the wall and pulling three Shuriken from somewhere in his suit, hurled them in Don's direction. Don threw himself to the floor to avoid the first barrage of pointy throwing stars but had to do a sudden backwards flip to keep from getting the second wave in the face.

Don's eyes widened when he saw a third and forth wave of coming at him, one coming from his personal attacker and another from the third Foot who had thus far kept himself out of the fight. "What is this, two for one sale on Shuriken?" Don gasped realizing that he'd never get out off the way of both volleys of stars at the same time… then Mikey managed to get his attacker's arms away from his neck and with a mighty kick launched the Soldier backwards.. right into the path of the throwing stars. Four Shuriken buried themselves into the surprised Ninja's body and one in his forehead; shielding Don from one side allowing him to dodge the final four coming from the other side. The soldier let out a gasp and fell face first onto the floor.

Out of Shuriken, Don's Foot Soldier drew a sword and rushed the purple masked turtle just as he was getting to his feet. Mike leapt in front of his brother blocking the sword thrust with the chains of one of his Nunchuku. " I got it Donnie, you go get that guy!" Mike said jerking his head in the direction of the leader foot.

Don nodded "Right." and ran for the evil ninja Bo twirling in the air in front of him.The evil Ninja met him head on and they exchanged blows and kicks as Mikey simultaneously dueled sword against Nunchuku back and forth across the floor with his opponent; one gaining an advantage only to loose it a second later to the other. Finally Mikey got the upper hand again and yanked the sword out of his opponent's hand just as Don got in a devastating kick in that knocked the leader Foot against the door. The lead soldier pulled himself back to his feet and rushed Don slamming him over the head with the metal gauntlet and kicking him to the floor.

Realizing that they were slowly loosing the third Foot gave a frustrated growl, and then he yelled. "I think it's time I taught you, things, a lesson once and for all!"

"Do all of you bad guys get your lines from the same book?" Don remarked, looking up to see the evil Ninja take off his right glove, toss it to the ground and put the metal gauntlet on his right hand. A bright light flared blinding them all momentarily and by the time they could see again the glove had seemingly bonded itself to the evil Ninja's arm; both he and it were glowing.

" Oh man the power!" The foot cackled holding his arm up in the air triumphantly.

"Uh oh, that looks bad." Don pulled himself to his feet and ran for his brother." Mikey it's time to go!"

"Wrong, it's time to die!" the now very powerful evil Foot Ninja looked over at Mike and Don and then simply pointed his arm in their direction. The resulting blast of energy felt like a furnace was flying at them; for a moment all Mikey and Don could do was stare up at it like two deer caught in the headlights of a semi truck…Then Donatello went into action.

He barely had time to act before the energy ball hit, but act he did; and being who he was he did the only thing possible in his mind; he pushed Michalangelo out of the way taking the full force of the energy ball right in his plastron.

" Donnie!" Mikey looked up from the ground watching in horror as the sheer velocity of the energy ball picked Don up off of his feet, tossing him over the railing and down into the machine below them..the same machine that Don had warned Mikey about just minutes before.

The machine with the high amount of electricity.

There was a loud crash and the sounds of crackling; Mikey ran to the railing screaming his brother's name, and looked down fearfully to see Don half on half off the machine, jerking spasmodically for the briefest of minutes as electricity coursed through him. Then gravity caught hold of the unconscious turtle's body and Don slid off the machine to land plastron first on the ground with a bone crunching thunk. Mike turned to run downstairs only to have the gauntleted Foot pick him up and with amazing strength hold the masked turtle up in the air above his head.

"Time to join your brother freak!"

He tossed Mikey over the railing.

But Mikey had managed to get a hold of his grappling hook and as he fell he got it targeted at the edge of the broken skylight above him. Seconds passed like eons and Mikey was afraid he'd hit the floor before the grappling hook caught on something… then it did, saving him just a few feet from smashing into the floor. Clutching the rope he looked up to see the Foot disappearing taking their fallen comrade with them.

Letting loose of the rope Mike fell nimbly to the floor and ran to his brother.

" Donnie, Donnie talk to me.. Donnie!" Mikey called frantically, turning his Don over onto his shell. Don's eyes remained closed, his face and shell was scorched, his mask virtually burned off and there was the faint smell of burnt skin. It was then that Mike noticed that Don wasn't breathing and that was when Mikey really began to panic. He started to shake his brother, a stream of tears beginning to fall down his cheeks. "Donnie don't do this to me, you have to breathe, you have to wake up!" He slammed his fists repeatedly into his brother's chest hoping the shock to his plastron would get him breathing again, and luckily after a few hits it seemed to work. Don let out a gasping choke and he began to breathe again but he didn't wake up. Mikey pulled his brother's head into his lap and hugged him close.

" Don't die Donnie. I'm sorry I dragged you out here tonight; you can kick my tail about it later if you want.. just please don't die.." he whispered tears falling like rain, clutching his unconscious brother in his arms as if he could keep the angel of death himself at bay.

"Don't die.."


	2. A new enemy

_Didn't get it into the first chapter but a very special thanks to Beautiful Harmony and Donnie-O for all of their help with this story. You were great guys!_

* * *

"You have disobeyed my orders."

The two Foot soldiers who had managed to survive their encounter with the turtles had returned to Shredder's Hideout and were now cowering in fear on the floor in front of their master's throne. Shredder had been pleased to hear how his Ninjas had taken care of one of the two turtles, but not at all pleased to hear that the gauntlet was still stuck to the hand of the leader, and would not come off.

" I expressly forbade you to use the device, for anything " Shredder stood up from his throne to tower above his two Foot clenching and unclenching his fists.

"I know Master, but the turtles they were too much for us. If I had not used the device they would have beaten us, and taken it for themselves." The lead Foot said his voice shaking with fear; a sharp contrast the arrogance he had displayed not long before.

"So you freely admit not only to incompetence, but weakness as well. Your dishonor disgusts me." Shredder went to a rack of Katana hanging on the wall. He examined the swords for a second and then carefully took one off the rack. Drawing it from its intricately decorated sheath he held it up in the air in front of him, letting the light of a nearby candle glint off of the blade. Then he slowly walked back towards his now even more frightened Foot.

"Tell me why I should not simply remove your heads from your bodies right now, and then take the gauntlet from your hand at my leisure, by cutting off your arm."

"No Master, please!"

"Stop your sniveling before you dishonor yourself even further." Shredder snarled raising the katana above his head.

" I can use the device to get you anything you want!" The gauntleted Foot shrieked.

The Shredder stopped, the blade pausing in mid-air. " Go on."

"I know what this thing, is..I..I know what it does. I can use it to anything for you, I can steal anything, destroy anything..and no one will be able to stop me."

Shredder raised the Katana slightly. " All the better to cut it from your arm for my own use."

" No Master, with all due respect, it will not work for you!"The lead foot screeched out.

"Why not." Shredder asked.

"Because of what you are, the gauntlet lets me see it. It won't work for you, you arent..real.."

The Shredder looked around the room to see if none of his other servants were present, but none were, he was alone with the two Foot soldiers.

"And what is it exactly that you think I am." Shredder asked in a tone that suggested his servant choose his words very, very carefully.

"You are not human, that is all I can tell. The gauntlet needs a human body otherwise it will not function." The foot said risking a glance upward at the Shredder.

Shredder caught the glance and growled. " How do I know you are not lying to save your miserable skin?"

"I swear Master, I swear on my life that I'm not lying. I will do anything you ask, anything!"

Shredder pondered that for a second and finally lowered his Katana completely. He put it back in its sheath, but did not put it back on the wall. It was a silent warning that although death had been postponed for now, it was still a possibility if they failed again.

"Very well you have stayed your execution for now. However if you fail to follow my orders again I will not hesitate to kill you. You will tell me exactly what this device can do, and I will decide whether or not you and it can be of any use to me."

* * *

Leonardo and Raphael paced back and forth in unison outside Splinter's room, Raph walking right to left, Leo left to right. They crossed one another's paths periodically and when they did they exchanged worried glances. Mike sat huddled in an arm chair, Turtle Titan costume lying in a wad on the floor, his hands on his face. Leo had tried to talk to him, to tell him that it wasn't his fault but he would neither look at him nor speak in response. Mike was feeling the heavy weight of guilt pressing down upon him, and Leo was afraid his little brother couldn't handle it.

He was even more afraid of what would happen if Donatello were to die.

He had been the first into the building after Mikey's frantic call, the first to see what condition Donatello was in. He had smelled the odor of burnt skin, and felt the heat that still seemed to emanate from Don's body, though Mikey in his desperation hadn't seemed to notice it. Leo had also been the only one Splinter had allowed in the room after they had gotten Don back to the lair, the only one allowed to help in trying to save Don's life. Their brother had stopped breathing at least two times when Leo had been in the room and both times it had taken all Splinter had to get him breathing again. Finally Don had seemed to stabilize and Splinter had told Leo to go wait with his brothers; and there he stayed with Raph and Mike, as the hours passed by in a haze of worry and dread.

Raph had called April and Casey, and the two were on their way down, though Leo wasn't sure what for. They couldn't do anything other than sit there and add to the pool of worry and fear that was already threatening to overflow and wash them all away.

Leo and Raph exchanged glances again as their paths passed one another, and Leo sighed.

The ticking of the clock counted the minutes and hours as more time passed.

April and Casey had arrived and were waiting with Leo, Mike and Raph in the living room. April had managed to get a response out of Mike, but she could not convince him that what had happened wasn't his fault. Casey made an attempt to comfort Raphael but the red masked turtle was too worried to respond to his human friend's well meant but clumsy attempts to cheer him up. Finally the door opened and Splinter stepped outside, sliding the door shut behind him. His fur was a mess, and he looked very tired, but he didn't look like one who'd just lost a son. Leo broke off in his pacing and headed towards Splinter, as did Raph. April and Casey stood up from the couch, and Mike's head jerked up. When he saw his father he got up from the chair, coming to join his brothers and the two humans in front of Splinter. The old rat looked at them, his eyes full of pain.

" Will he live Sensei?" Leo asked softly.

Splinter drew in a ragged breath and shook his head. "Only time will tell my sons. He has fallen into a coma and I cannot tell you with certainty if he will ever wake again."

"Ain't there anything we can do?" Raph asked his face painted with worry.

"No Raphael, we can do nothing other than wait..and see if your brother is strong enough to survive."

Leo looked to Raph, and both looked to Mikey. Michalangelo had been looking at Splinter so hopefully, but hearing his father's words he bowed his head, tears running down his cheeks.

" He'll pull through Mikey, Donnie's a tough turtle." Casey said laying a hand on Mike's shoulder. He looked at April and she nodded at the orange masked turtle.

"When Don puts his mind to something he can do anything." She agreed trying to look optimistic.

Mike just shook his head.

"Sensei, remember when I was ambushed by the Foot? Remember how you brought me back by talking to me? We can do the same with Don can't we? We can each spend time with him every day and we can talk to him..we'll bring him back the same way he helped to bring me back." Leo said determinedly his eyes still on Mikey.

"I do not know if it will work this time Leonardo, or if Donatello can even hear us.. but it is worth a try." Splinter nodded.

" So, wanna take the first shift Mikey?" Raph asked his orange masked brother placing a hand on Mike's shoulder.

Mikey's eyes lit up and he nodded.

A week passed as each turtle, Casey, Splinter and April, took turns spending time with Don, talking to him, reading to him, and trying to keep him alive by trying to get water down him to keep him from dehydrating. Don's injuries were slowly healing but he neither moved, nor woke. The turtles went out several times looking for the two remaining Foot or any evidence of the Gauntlet they had stolen, but they found none. The news wasn't much help either, there was no mention of any robbery at the factory, indeed any robberies at all that night. The turtles were left with no clues as to what the gauntlet actually was, where it came from or who made it. All that they knew was it was powerful, and Shredder probably had it in his posession. As if that prospect wasn't scary enough the city seemed to be caught in the grip of a crime wave, like all the evil in New York had woken up and was now running amok. Amidst the reports of the every day robberies, there came reports of one series of robberies in particular; ones committed by a man in a glowing metal suit, with a metal gauntlet on his right hand.

" That's it, that's gotta be him!" Mikey exclaimed one night while the turtles and Splinter were watching the evening news.

"Are you sure Mike?" Leo asked putting a hand to his chin.

" Well who else could it be, a man with a metal gauntlet on his right hand and energy blasts?" Mike shrugged.

"But didn't you say he just put the gauntlet on? Where did the suit come from?" Leo asked puzzled.

"How would I know Leo? Maybe he robbed a Musem, maybe he's going for the metal suited look this season..I just know it's him."

" Wonder what it is." Raph mused.

"I bet that metal gauntlet came from some strange alien race, or some weird other dimensional being..." Mike pondered.

" But you said Donnie was sure that they were makin somethin in that factory." Raph asked scowling. "What if they were makin somethin like that."

"It's possible that it could be some new kind of weapon, but we won't know for sure what's really going on until we track down that armor wearing Foot. He shouldn't be too hard to find, he's leaving a rather large trail of destruction in his wake." Leo said making a face.

" Do you think Shredder has anything to do with this Sensei?" Mike asked his father.

Splinter frowned. "It believe it is a possibity, it is not likely he would be unaware of the havoc currently being caused by one of his own."

" Could it be him in that suit and not the ninja who hurt Don?" Leo asked.

" Perhaps, Saki could even be controlling the suit from elsewhere. There are too many possibilities to say for sure what Saki is up to or if he is even behind these robberies." Splinter shook his head.

" Then we go find that metal maniac and take him to the scrap yard, permanently. It's time these Foot goons learned that nobody messes with one of ours. He hurt Donnie, now we're gonna put the big hurt on him." Raph said punching a fist into his palm.

" We're all angry about what happened Raph, but we shouldn't make this just about revenge." Leo placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"He's lyin in a friggin coma Leo, do ya expect us to just forget that!" Raph said angrily.

"No my son, but thoughts of revenge can cloud one's judgment. You will all need to be prepared both in body and in mind. Focus on your task, and leave thoughts of revenge alone." Splinter said catching Raphael's gaze with his own and looking him in the eyes.

Raph sighed. "I guess you're right Sensei."

" We'll find him Raph, and we'll stop him. That's what Donnie would want, he'd want us to stop that Foot from destroying the city and hurting people." Leo said, then gave his hot tempered brother a smile. " But when we do get this guy Raph, when we do stop him you can be sure he'll never mess with one of ours ever again."

" Now we're talkin Leo" Raph grinned back.

"Let's go kick some metal butt." Mike said, smiling for the first time since Don had been injured.

Splinter looked at his three sons and with a half smile, shook his head.

* * *

Extensive searching of the city left the three turtles with nothing, and they were often distracted in their search by having to stop to fight regular criminals as well. Soon they were exhausted and after days of searching returned to the lair to regroup and re-think their strategies. Coordinating with April, they worked out a list of possible targets for the villain to strike next and spent following days staking out each target. Finally after days of work they got lucky.

They were staking out a jewlerly store from an adjoining rooftop when the Metal Foot made a dramatic apperance by blowing open the front of the the store from the inside. When the smoke cleared they could see him strolling out of the store hands full of jewels, rings, and other valuables. The three turtles leapt down to the street to land right in front of the evil metal plated Ninja and drew their weapons.

"Funny, I didn't see a self-service sign on the door, did you Raph." Mike said going into a crouch. The Foot saw them and snorted. "Well well, if it isn't the Turtles!"

"Good goin guy you got it in one guess." Raph sneered twirling his Sai. "Wanna put that stuff down before I make it a permenant part o' yer anatomy?"

"Turtle Titan has returned and he has brought his sidekicks. It seems to me you three are missing somebody. Did you find a nice urn to put your brother in? Personally I would have dumped the ashes in the sewers with the rest of the shit, but that's me."

Raph's eyes widened at the insult to his brother and when he spoke his voice was an angry growl."You're the piece of shit, you little metal plated.." Before Leo could stop him, the red masked turtle rushed towards the metal Foot in a rage..only to fly backwards under the force of a very impressive punch from the evil villan. Raph flew backwards over his brother's heads and hit a wall, making a shell shaped crack in it and landing admist a group of trash cans. Leo looked at Mike and they charged the foot in unison. They immediately discovered however..that although the Foot looked like a mere man in a shiny metal suit; he was a lot more powerful than that.

Leo's Katana didn't bother the metal menance one bit and Mikey's Nunchuku only bounced off the suit with loud clanking noises. Leo and Mike fought with ferocity, but they were out-matched by the sheer strength of the Foot's new suit. It seemed to be made of liquid metal, allowing the man inside to move as if he were wearing nothing, and yet was nigh invulnerable. It glowed a greenish color, that made anyone looking at it feel a wave of nausea; he could fly, was super strong and fired strange green energy blasts. Both brothers were soon lying face first on the ground.

Raph shook himself off and came barreling back into the fight, still enraged by the Foot's comment about Donatello. He tackled the Foot until Leo and Mike could get back up and all three turtles tackled the metal clad human at once; punching, kicking, trying to do anything to harm him..but they were little more than annoying mosquitoes to him.

If that wasn't bad enough they gradually became aware of mocking laughter and Leo looked up to the roof of the jewelry store to see the other Foot Jin sitting above them on the edge of the building..eating popcorn. He had his mask rolled halfway up to his nose so he could eat and was tossing handfuls of little yellow buttered blobs of popcorn into his mouth barely taking time out to chew. He laughed again in between mouthfuls.

"Man this is the most entertaining thing I've seen all year. After what happened to your brother, I thought you freaks would be smart enough not to come after my buddy again. Looks like without your big brain to think for you, you guys are as dumb as bricks." He laughed again.

"Why don't you choke on your popcorn, and do the world a favor." Mike called up trying but failing to dodge a punch by the metal Foot. Mike flew backwards and landed on a car, before he could get up Wick grabbed Mike's leg and proceeded to slam him up and down on the pavement. Raph and Leo interceeded tackling the Foot and tossing him back into the jewelry store. They knelt beside the now very dazed Mike, and looked up as Wick came shooting back out of the store at full speed. He ploughed into them carrying both backwards and into a concrete wall at full force. With both turtles now semi-unconscious the Foot grabbed a leg each and dragged them back to where Mikey was trying to sit up. A swift kick to the face put Mikey into the same state as his brothers and then the evil metal Ninja simply dumped Raph and Leo right down beside the orange masked turtle.

Wick raised a fist preparing to kill them all but Jin's voice called out.

"Forget about them for now bro, we don't have time to kill them properly. We're supposed to be following The Shredder's plan anyway. If he sees us here robbing stores while we're supposed to be working he'll come and rip our spleens out through our throats."

Wick looked up at his brother. "The plan, bah! The Shredder's plan will not remain our own for long. I think I should kill them now, and save ourselves further trouble."

"Oh come on, look how easily you kicked their tails? I doubt they'll be too eager to bother us anytime soon. And what if they do? You can kick their tails again. We don't have the time, the cops are on their way and we don't need to get into a big fight with those guys it only wastes time." At the sounds of police sirens in the distance, Jin stood and tossed his popcorn aside. The popcorn fell to the ground like fluffy, white, buttery rain.Wick still seemed unwilling to leave the turtles alive, but he seeemd to listen to his friend. Turning away from the groggy and dazed turtles he snorted.

"I am hungry, it is time for another meal." He said stomping to the pile of jewels and picking them up and taking to the air. He floated up to the roof where his brother stood and then flew off slowly across the city.

"Again? You just ate four Big Macs two hours ago." Jin said pulling his mask back down and following his brother across the rooftops.

* * *

Down below the bruised, and battered turtles were just crawling painfully down into a manhole..just as the police were arriving. They limped their way through the sewers in the direction of home, leaning heavily on one another, not speaking a word. The realization had dawned on them that they were seriously outmatched. It would take brains not brawn if they were going to beat this metal clad menace..and for that they needed Donatello. But their brother was still uncontious and they didn't know if or when he would ever wake again... 


	3. The awakening

_Hope you guys are liking this so far. Any comments or questions, something you don't understand or something you want to point out just send me a note. This is the longest story I've ever written, buckle up folks it's over 20 chapters! Hope you enjoy the ride!_

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* * *

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Not long after their first defeat at the hands of the metal foot some even more disturbing news came to their attention via the nightly news. In a monumental battle between the metal foot and three of the cities greatest superheroes, the Foot had displayed a hereto unknown ability…he had literally taken the hero's super powers away from them!

Video footage showed the metal Foot hitting the three heroes with a bright green beam, and seconds later their powers were completely gone. The foot had proceeded to do the same thing to the heroes that he had done to the turtles, namely beat them into the pavement. Two were taken to the emergency room with severe injuries and the third was on life support not expected to make it through the week. The three turtles watched the news reports of the incidents with wide eyes and jaws hanging wide open.

How were they going to stop the Foot now when even the city's super powered heroes were taken out mere seconds into the battle?

Raph let out a growl and began to stomp around the room clenching his fists. " Man can things get any worse?"

"Whenever anyone says something like that it usually does Raph." Leo said his eye ridges furroughing as he stared at the TV screens.

"Man this is a nightmare, I can't watch this anymore.. I'm gonna go check on Donnie." Mike said his face bleak.

"We could really use that brain power of his right now." Raph sighed coming to a stop beside the couch Leo was standing in front of.

"I don't know if even Don could come up with a way to stop this guy…" Leo sighed.

"You gotta be kidding me Leo. Have you been on a different planet than me the last sixteen years? Donnie can come up with anything." Mike scoffed. " You just wait, as soon as he wakes up he'll find a way to take out that tin plated Foot.

"I hope you're right Mike, for the sake of the city I hope you're right."

* * *

It was early on a Saturday morning and Leonardo was sitting beside Don's bed reading him the morning newspaper.

He had just finished an article about a new technological breakthrough in the computer industry when he was startled by a groan from the bed. The newspaper was immediately tossed aside as Leo shot upright and clutched Donatello's hand.

Don groaned again, and blinked groggily putting his one free hand to his face.

" Donnie, Donnie are you okay?" Leo asked concerned.

Don looked up at Leo, and tried to focus his eyes on him. " L..Leo?"

" Yeah Don, it's me. Don't worry, you're home, you're safe. Man you had us scared there for awhile bro, how are you feeling?"

" Uh…" Don cleared his throat. " Thirsty."

" Right, I'll go get you some water." Leo nodded and turning he rushed for the door, shouting at the top of his lungs as soon as he got out of the room that Donatello was awake.

Don winced at the sound of Leo's shouting, then blinked puzzled at the room around him like it was a stranger's room instead of his own. His eyes landed on a comic book sitting on the table beside his bed; curiously he picked it up and scanned the cover noticing the words Silver Sentry printed in large letters at the top of the comic. There was an image of the Silver Sentry himself in a dynamic mid flight pose drawn right in the center of the cover. He flipped through the book examining each one of the pages with growing interest and a strange light in his eyes.

Then Leo came back into the room interrupting him; a glass of water and Mike, Raph and Splinter right behind him. The room filed with joyful exclamations as everybody crowed around Don to hug him, hold his hand and tell him how glad they were that he was awake. Don smiled at them faintly, assuring them that he was fine in an oddly deeper, more gravely tone of voice than they were used to. They were so glad to see him awake however that none of them really paid any attention to it.

" My sons, I believe we should let Donatello get some rest." Splinter said finally, nodding at them to leave the room.

" Sure Sensei, I'll go call April and let her know Don's awake." Leo said his face plastered with a huge grin. " See you later Don."

" Get some rest Donnie, you'll be back on your feet in no time." Raph said patting his brother's shoulder.

Splinter looked to Mikey but the orange masked turtle shook his head and gave his father a pleading look. "I need to talk to Donnie about something Sensei, please?"

Splinter nodded, understanding what it was that Mikey wanted. He turned to Don. " I will bring you some herbal tea, I shall return shortly my son."

" Thank you Sensei." Don nodded.

When Splinter was gone Mike sat in a chair beside Don's bed. He noticed that Don was holding the Silver Sentry comic.

"Hey, I see you found my Silver Sentry comic..I was reading it to you yesterday..I guess I forgot it." He grinned nervously.

Don turned the comic over in his hands. " You have more of these don't you Mike?" He asked in his strange voice.

" Yeah." Mike said raising an eye ridge. "Tons more, I'll bring them if you want. You can read them all." He looked a bit puzzled. "Uh, why the sudden interest Donnie, you've never wanted to look at any of my comics before."

"Let's just say that recent events have..opened my eyes a bit." Don said and then smiled a very strange smile; not at all the type of smile that one would expect to see on his face. It was the smile of someone who wasn't exactly in possession of all of his marbles, and it wasn't at all pleasant. Mikey saw it and for some reason he couldn't fathom began to feel slightly uneasy.

" Yeah, uh about that. Look Donnie I just wanted to say, you know, I'm sorry. What happened to you was my fault, I mean..if I hadn't have talked you into going out there with me.." Mikey said floundering in his effort to get his words out.

" Shhh Mikey." Don held up a hand. "Don't worry little bro, I'm not mad at you. Far from it, I should thank you."

Mikey looked confused. " Thank me, but why? I got you.."

"Shot by a strange energy ball, tossed of a balcony and electrocuted?" Don supplied raising an eye ridge. When Mikey looked hurt and Don placed a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"It's okay. What happened has changed everything Mike; my eyes are clear, my brains and my muscles are working better than they have in my entire life- in fact I think you can say it's made me a new turtle. This is a golden opportunity and I'm going to grab it with both hands." Don made a grasping motion, his eyes beginning to take on a slight glint of insanity.

Mike looked puzzled. " Opportunity ? What opportunity?"

"This Mikey." Don pulled his brother closer and held up the Silver Sentry comic. " This Super Hero business that you've been babbling about for so long. I admit I once thought it nonsense but I see now that it's far from it. It's our big chance Mikey."

Mikey looked puzzled. " You mean, you want to put on a suit too?"

Don nodded, "Not right now though, I have an idea but it will take some time to design."

"Um if you don't mind my asking Don, why?" Mike didn't know whether to be happy Don wanted to put on a costume too, or wonder about his brother's sanity.

"For justice Mike. The costume itself isn't the point, it's what the costume lets you do." Don held up the Newspaper Leo had been reading him, and pointed to the front page, which featured a very large picture of the battle between the metal Foot and the three heroes. The headline read " Who can stop the Metal Menace?"

"You're not wanting to go up against that guy alone are you Don?" Mike asked his eyes wide. "Leo, Raph and I have already fought him and we got our shells kicked in. Nothing can make a dent in that armor of his."

At that Don sat up, surprised. "You three went up against that metal foot?"

"Yeah, we wanted to get him for what he did to you, unfortunately he got us instead. I've still got bruises in places I didn't even know I had."

Don's eyes took on a strange light and he grabbed Mike's arm. " When I get out of this bed I want you to tell me exactly what happened Mike, everything you can remember in exact detail."

"Uh, sure but it all happened so fast. Just tell me you aren't going after that guy alone Donnie. If you've got a plan it can wait until you've gotten well again, and then we can all go after him."

"I've got the makings of a plan but I need more information first. I need time to find out a way to stop that suit of his. For that I need the costume, and some extras to go with it."

"Believe me, there's nothing I'd like more than to put on my Turtle Titan suit Don, but remember when I first put it on? What you guys told me? We're ninja, we're supposed to stay in the shadows. We can't be super heroes, we don't even have powers."

Don made a dismissive gesture. " Batman doesn't have powers, and neither does Iron Man. They've got something better than powers, they've got this." Don tapped his own temple. " Brains Mikey. Brains. You were on the right track with your gadget idea." He gave his brother's head a rub and released him.

Mikey was getting more puzzled by the minute. He was just getting over the euphoria of seeing Donatello alive and awake, and now the brother he had just spent weeks worrying about seemed to have woken up a few cards short of a full deck.

"Uh, Donnie are you feeling okay?"

"I'm just fine Mikey." Don said looking at the comic with another one of his smiles. "I'm just fine. I have some ideas for a few more gadgets for your suit, how about we take it for another spin when I can get out of this bed."

Mike's eyes widened. "No way, look what happened the last time you went out with me Donnie. I don't want anything like that happening again." He said looking sad.

Don patted his brother on the shoulder. "Don't worry Mikey, nothing will happen to me. I can take care of myself now."

Mike started to ask what his brother meant with " now" when Splinter came back into the room, tea cup in hand.

"I believe it is time to let your brother get some rest Michelangelo." Their Sensei said with a fatherly smile as he handed Don the tea.

Mike nodded and stood looking back at his brother uncertainly.

Don gave Mike smile. " We'll continue what we were talking about later Mike."

Mike tried to put on a smile in return but only managed a half one, and then he decided to leave before he got even more confused than he already was. The more he thought about the conversation he had just had with his brother, the less sense it all seemed to make.

Frowning as he thought he made his way to his room, there he took out the turtle Titan Costume, sat on his bed and stared at it… thinking.


	4. The change

After visit from April, and week of resting and building his strength back up Splinter allowed Don out of bed but on the condition that he wouldn't leave the lair until he had healed completely.

For a time Don seemed to obey, he spent a lot of time in his lab, reading comic books and spent time with Mike discussing super heroes, costumes, villains and gadgets. He also developed the strange habit of watching the nightly news every time it came on without fail. Sometimes he watched on the TV in the living room, sometimes he used his small TV in his own lab but he always watched it, no matter what. He would often write on a small notepad as he watched, no one knew what he was writing or why he was so interested in the news but Leo had the sneaky suspicion it had something to do with the metal foot. In the company of his brothers he acted mostly normal, though they gradually begin to get the feeling that there was something different about him. Beyond the much deeper, darker tone to his voice, and the hardness in his eyes, he was more serious, colder and quieter. He never openly insulted or ignored them, but he was distracted and he only spoke when spoken to, even then his responses were short and to the point.

It would become worse whenever his brothers had to leave the lair. Because of the growing absence of super powered heroes in city crime was escalating at an alarming rate. Leo, Mike and Raph were forced to make nightly trips up to the top to try to stem the tide of criminals as best they could. Every time they left Don was always there; pacing back and forth in agitation like a lion in a cage.

Finally he went to Splinter and asked to be allowed to go back to the city.

Splinter was surprised, normally it wouldn't have bothered Donatello to stay down below. He was usually content to sit in his lab working on his projects, read a book or work on his computer. Now however he was as impatient, as Raphael would have been.

"Why is it that you wish to go above my son?" the elderly rat asked.

"I've got some things I need to test and they can only be tested up in the city." Don said scowling at his father's questioning.

"And what purpose do these inventions serve that they cannot wait for another week?"

"Because in another week there probably won't be much of a city left Sensei, these inventions are going to help me..uh..us go after that metal Foot and not get our shells kicked in while doing it." Don said, he was trying to act calm and patient but Splinter could see that he was anything but.

"Indeed, and if you were to encounter the foot again, do you believe you are well enough to be able to defend yourself?"

Don snorted. " Of course Sensei, I'm better than I've ever been."

Splinter stared into his sons eyes, Don stared back refusing to back down.

"Then I will allow you to go to the surface, on the condition that you complete a training session to my satisfaction. Only then will I allow you to leave."

Don nodded a fierce look on his face. " Thank you Sensei." He bowed to his father and backed out of the room.

The next day Donatello was the first into the training area and was working out alone when his brothers came into the room. It took his brothers a second to realize that something was odd about their purple masked brother and then they realized what it was, he was wearing his belt, his elbow and knee pads..everything but his purple mask

"Hey Don, I'm glad to see you're up and back to training." Leo said pleasantly deciding not to say anything about the mask, thinking his brother might have just forgotten it.

Don stopped when Leo spoke and gave his brothers a cold smile.

"So am I." He said.

"We'll go easy on ya today Don, seein as though you're just gettin better an all." Raph said with a teasing grin.

Don's smile disappeared immediately and was replaced with a scowl. "I don't need you doing me any favors Raph. I'm not going to be holding back so I suggest that if you don't want your shell kicked, you won't either." He growled.

Raph's eyes widened. " What did you just say?" he asked surprised.

"Are you deaf?" Don asked crossing his arms across his plastron.

"Donatello." Leo began sternly.

"Uh, hey Donnie I had an idea for something why don't you come over here and let me explain it.." Mike said hurriedly drawing Donatello aside before Raphael exploded.

With a final glare at Raph, Don allowed Mike to pull away and turned his attention to what his orange masked brother was saying.

"I don't believe he just said that." Raph said in amazement.

"Neither do I." Leo said looking puzzled. "He's been acting odd lately..maybe he's in a bad mood."

"I don't know Leo, there's somthin different about him,and it goes way beyond a bad mood." Raph shook his head.

"Well whatever it is there's nothing we can do about it now." Leo said his head turning towards the door of Splinter's room as he came out.

All four turtles lined up and bowed respectfully in front of their master, and then the training commenced. Splinter showed them the techniques for two new moves, and drilled his sons until each had gotten both moves more or less perfect; or rather he drilled Raphael, Michalangleo and Leonardo. Donatello had carefully watched his Sensei's demonstrations, and had pulled off each move almost flawlessly. This surprised Leonardo the most, he was most skilled of the three and usually learned new moves before his brothers. Splinter allowed Don to stand and watch while the others continued to practice. He then pared them up, Mike and Leo, Don and Raph, with the instructions to put their newly learned techniques to use. Mike and Leo fought well, but both were so distracted by the virtual grudge match that went on between Don and Raph that they finally just stopped to watch. The air between the two brothers was thick with aggression as Don and Raph circled one another, each watching for an opening to attack. Splinter was watching them with a sharply disapproving look on his face but he let the fight play out for the moment, Leo and Mike knew their father would intervene if things got out of hand.

Don made the first move launching a punch at his red masked brother, Raph blocked the punch easily but didn't realize it was a feign until Don dropped to the floor and knocked his feet out from under him. Raph tumbled to the floor with a curse and flipped back to his feet, immediately going into a crouch and leaping head first for his brother. Don dove under the leap, popping up behind Raph as the red masked turtle landed on empty space. Don tried to go for Raph from behind but Raph grabbed his arm and threw him. Don landed with an "oomph" plastron first but immediately rolled to his feet and went into a defensive pose. "Thought you weren't holdin back Donnie." Raph grinned at his brother. "I'm not." Don sprang forward, bounced off his hands, flipped in mid air and kicked Raph back across the room. Raph landed on his shell and skidded to a stop, he wasn't about to be taken out so easily however and like a break dancer Raph whirled on his shell, flipped to the side and leapt to his feet.

He and Don rushed one another and they grappled for a few minutes like two wrestlers in a WWF match, Donatello broke first and pushed Raphael backwards causing him to loose balance.. then he did something no one had ever seen him do before, and he did it so fast they could barely track it. Don dropped to the floor in a handstand just as Raphael recovered from his stagger and began to rush forward. Don then let his legs fall forward wrapping them around the red masked turtle's neck, still in his handstand he whirled in place swinging his legs down and around, he then released his brother just in time to send him flying across the room to land against a pillar. Don dove forward rolled and came back to his feet. Leo and Mike gasped and ran to see if Raphael was okay, helping their red masked brother to his feet. Raph was slightly dizzy but otherwise fine, he shook off Mike and Leo and stalked towards Don.

"You got a lucky shot in braniac, let's go another round and I'll be cleanin' the floors with yer shell." Raph growled poking his brother in the plastron.

"After all these years Raph, one would think you'd be used to loosing." Don said coldly. He batted Raphael's hand away. " If you poke me one more time I'm going break your hand."

"Donatello, Raphael that is enough!" Splinter's voice barked.

With one last glare Raph turned to face Splinter and bowed, Don did the same.

"Donatello it was very dangerous to use that technique on your brother, you could have seriously injured him." Splinter said.

"I calculated the force necessary to throw Raph without hurting him Sensei, I knew exactly what I was doing." Don said crossing his arms across his plastron.

Splinter snorted. "So you say, yet I know your mind was too clouded by anger and hostility to have thought so clearly."

Don frowned but did not reply.

"I expect this sort of behavior from Raphael, but from you above all of your brothers." Splinter shook his head and sighed.

"Hey Sensei, I ain't that bad." Raph said angrily jerking a thumb towards himself.

"No?" Splinter asked raising an eye brow. " I seem to remember an incident with Michalangelo and a large metal pipe."

Raph blinked a few times and then grinned sheepishly. " Uh, yeah I'd kinda hoped everybody'd forgotten about that."

Don wasn't grinning, nor was he in the mood for remembrance. "Can I go up top now?" He said turning to his father.

Splinter shook his head. "No Donatello, you are to remain in the lair for another week."

Don's jaw dropped. "But you said I could go if I had completed a training session….."

"To my satisfaction." Splinter said grimly. "You have not done so."

"But my skills are fine…"

"Yes your skills in fighting are impressive my son, but it is in other areas that you are lacking."

Don's face transformed into a scowl. "And what would those areas be?"

"You are strong in body yes, but I believe your mind is still weak. You are acting strangely Donatello, you are angry, hostile and arrogant. You fight violently, without giving though to the consequentes of your actions. This is not like you and I will not allow you to leave the lair until you and I have worked out what is wrong with you."

Don looked like he was going to explode, but then he looked at the worried faces of Leo and Mike, and the frowning face of Raphael and simply turned and stomped out of the room.

Splinter sighed and looked to his remaining sons. " Raphael, are you injured?"

Raph shook his head. "It'll take more than that to hurt me Sensei." He gave a grin.

"Yeah his head's about as hard as that wall." Mike grinned.

Raph turned to regard Mike. "You're a regular barrel of laughs you know that?"

Splinter held up a hand to stave off any further remarks from Raph and Mike."There will be time enough for humor later my sons, I am concerned about Donatello."

"We are too Sensei, we've never seen him act like that." Leo said concerned.

" Neither have I my son and I find it disturbing to say the least. I think that the three of you should keep a careful watch on Donatello. He is planning something, but I do not know what. And I am deeply concerned about his recent behavior."

"I'll keep an eye on him all right." Raph nodded looking grim.

"You will not attempt to draw him into a fight Raphael, he no longer fights as he used to do, there is something dangerous about him and I do not wish for any of you to get hurt."

"Donnie, hurt me? Please, this is Donnie we're talkin about. Every time we fight somebody he's usually the first one ta get knocked onto his shell." Raph scoffed waving a hand.

"And yet he just tossed you across the room Raph." Leo said crossing his arms across his plastron.

"Bah, lucky shot." Raph said.

"No, it was not luck Raphael. I do not know how but Donatello's skills have somehow increased. He is stronger than he was, and faster. You will do nothing but watch him, and if he attempts to goad you into a fight I want you to walk away. Do you understand me Raphael?"

Raph nodded but with reluctance. "Yeah, sure Sensei. You got it."

"Good, you may go." Splinter nodded at his sons and bowed, they in turn bowed and filed out together. As he watched his sons leave he frowned.

* * *

The next day Mike found his brainy brother working out in the living room. The orange masked turtle had a stack of comics with him all packed into neat little plastic covers and, steadied with backing boards. He laid them lovingly on the table that held Don's computer and went to watch his brother work out.

Don was practicing the moves they had learned the day before, and adding a few moves of his own, his teeth were clenched and he looked very angry. Mike went to lean against a pillar and gave a half smile. "Sorry about what Sensei said Donnie. I brought you some more comics to help you pass the time."

Don kicked the air and let out a grunt. "Thanks." He said between gritted teeth and continued to train punching and kicking the air letting out grunts of anger and frustration.

Mike watched his brother train and after a second it hit him that Don still wasn't wearing his purple mask, nor did he have his Bo which he hadn't touched since he had woken.

"Hey Don, I uh..don't mean to be nosy or anything..but..where's your mask?"he asked in puzzlement.

"In the room, I will not wear it." Came the reply between grunts.

Mike blinked. " Why not? Purple not your style anymore?"

Don gave the air a few last kicks and came to a stop, panting. He went to a nearby chair and picked up a towel, wiping the sweat off his face before answering. "I'm not wearing it because it isn't mine, just like the stick."

Mike looked puzzled. "What are you talking about Don, it's your mask, your Bo."

Don toweled off his arms and wrapped the towel around his neck. "No Mike, they aren't mine they belong to him."

"Him..him who?" Mike felt like he'd fallen into some strange alternate reality.

"The other Donatello, the one you guys keep comparing me to. I'm not him." Don clarified matter of factedly, as if he was talking about something as ordinary as the weather.

"Uh..you're saying that you're not Donatello?" Mike said grasping to make sense of what his brother was saying but not having any luck.

Don sighed. "I am Donatello, just not that Donatello."

When Mike just blinked a few times Don shook his head. " Forget it Mike, you won't understand. Just go get your Turtle Titan costume and meet me in my lab in a half an hour okay? We're going for another test run." He said strolling towards the bathroom.

"Wait a minute, didn't you hear Sensei?You can't go up top, you're not well enough yet." Mike stood up straight and shook his head fervently.

Don turned to regard his brother, eyes narrowing. "Sensei still thinks I'm that Donatello, he would be too weak to handle a potential fight. I on the other hand am a completely different matter. I'll decide whether I'm fit enough to go up top. Just meet me in the lab in a half an hour." Don then turned and walked towards the bathroom leaving a puzzled and worried Mike behind.

A half and hour later Mike met his brother in the lab, wearing his costume. Don was wearing a black mask in place of his purple one, and this mask not only covered his eyes it covered the entire top of his head as well. He was slipping on a black jacket when Mike walked in.

"Woah cool jacket Donnie, where'd you get that?" Mike asked raising an eye ridge.

Don shrugged. "Around." He said evasively and picking up a pair of black boots from the table, slung his bag over his shoulder. "Are you ready?"

When Mike nodded he strolled towards the door.

"Uh, shouldn't you bring something, you know in case we run into trouble?"

Don shook his head " If I need a weapon I'll take one from whoever's lying around." His meaning was clear that if any bad guys attacked them, Don would make sure there would be plenty of them lying around to take a weapon from.

"Okay" Mike sighed, giving up. " I guess that works too." He followed his brother out the door and into the sewer pipes. The farther they got away from the lair the more Mike began to worry, he knew Sensei would be angry when he found out that Mike had allowed Don to go up to the streets; but he knew he couldn't let Donatello go up to the streets alone and risk his brother getting killed if someone attacked.Oh boy, he thought to himself.. rock and a hard place.

Don had continued on ahead and only when he realized that Mike wasn't following did he stop and look back. " Are you coming Mike?" He asked impatiently.

Mike looked back at the lair once more and sighed again.Splinter had told them to keep an eye on Don, and the best way Mike could do that was to stay with him.

"I'm coming."he said hurrying to catch up with his brother.

* * *

The two didn't see the small figure of Master Splinter keeping to the shadows a few feet behind them, and when they went up top they never saw him sneak out of the sewer grate and follow them. 


	5. Up in the city

Mike soon forgot his worries as he became engrossed in the sheer coolness of the new gadgets Don had made. Among the goodies were a small backpack that sprouted a pair of large wings for gliding, a new electric grappling hook with a smart aiming feature that never missed its target, a small hologram projector, and a pair of anti-gravity boots that actually allowed their wearer to fly. Mike had fun with that last item shooting across the skies with whoops of joy, while Don watched from below a half smile on his face. After an hour or so Mike finally returned to the rooftop, landing clumsily but managing not to fall on his face. Don bent and lifted up his brother's left foot critically examining the sole of the anti-grav boot for a second before taking a tiny screwdriver from his belt, which now had at least three different pouches attached to it. He opened a panel on the underside of the boot, adjusted something with the screwdriver and then closed it nodding to himself.

"Man Donnie these boot thingies are awesome, why didn't you make anything like this before?"

Don motioned for his brother to sit and took the boots off of Mike's feet. "Let's say my vision was rather narrow before, now it has..extended to include other possiblities."he said adjusting something on the other boot before tucking them into his bag.

"Other possibilities?" Mike asked and then realized he was heading into a conversation guaranteed to confuse instead of clarify.

Thankfully Don didn't answer, instead he began tucking everything back into his bag, standing and handing the glider backpack over to his brother. " You can have this Mike, and the holo-projector, and the grappling hook, I'm going to have to tweak the boots a bit before I use them."

"Use them for what?" Mike asked curiously. He was overjoyed to have so many new gadgets, but still puzzled by his brother's new personality.

Don grinned. "For my suit, I've almost completed it. Just a little more time and I'll be ready to begin."

Mike felt himself slowly loosing his grasp on what his brother was talking about.

"To begin..what?" He asked raising an eye ridge.

Don went to the edge of the building and stared across the city. "To begin my plan to stop that metal Foot Soldier."

Mike brightened. "So you do have a plan! I told Leo you'd come up with one. When are you going to tell him?"

Don snorted. " I'm not."

That brought Mike up short, he blinked. "Why not?"

Don turned to regard his brother. "Because you three aren't going to get involved. I'm going to do this alone."

Mike's eye ridges furroughed and he crossed his arms across his plastron. "Oh we're not? Do think we're going to sit at home on our tails and let you fight that guy alone?"

"Exactly, you'll be staying at home out of harm's way and out of my way." Don told his brother with a shrug. He turned back to stare across the city and stepped closer to the side of the building. "It's out there Mike, it's out there with that foot Soldier and it's destroying my city. I'm going to stop it, by any means necessary."

"One of us has just stepped into the twilight zone and I know it isn't me bro, you're not making any sense."Mike put a hand on his brother's shoulder, and Don slowly turned his head without turning his body, turning his head just a little bit farther than Mike was sure a normal head was supposed to go. The effect was rather creepy, though not half as creepy as the look that was in Don's eyes. Mike took a step backwards out of sheer reflex. _Woah_, he thought, _Exorcist time._

Don saw his brother's uneasiness and the creepy look vanished, replaced by an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry Mike." He said turning to face his brother, though whether he was sorry for talking in riddles or for freaking his brother out he didn't clarify.

"Uh, yeah, look Don you aren't facing that Foot guy alone we're your brothers, we're a team..we need you and you need us." Mike said gathering his courage.

"No Mike." Don said shaking his head calmly. "I do not need you three, nor do you need me. You three need him, the other Donatello, and were he in control here he would most certainly need you. I don't need or want your help, this is my battle..this is for me and me alone. Besides you three have already fought him and were beaten, he let you live once, don't think he'll do it again. "

Mike was not going to accept this and bravely struggled on. "Donnie.."he started.

But Don's attention was drawn elsewhere, gradually the sound of gunfire and screeching tires could be heard. Mike went to stand beside his brother at the side of the building and both turtles craned their necks to see what was coming down the road below them.

Don took a pair of binoculars out of his bag. "Armored car, from the blast marks on the sides it appears that the back doors have been blown open. There are two cars escorting it, they are matching velocity with the car not chasing it so they have probably already taken the vehicle." He stopped and Mike looked up to see his brother's jaw clench.

"Four hostages, two appear to be the drivers of the armored car, the third is a brown haired woman in a business suit and the fourth is a blonde woman in a sports suit. They must have taken the car while it was still at a bank and taken hostages there." Don handed Mike the binoculars so that he could get a look for himself, and the black masked turtle began digging in his bag again.

Mike saw the armored car speed down the street in front of them, one of its escort cars kept pace in front the other in back, both were expensive looking cars built for speed and style. As Mike watched four glimmering things sped through the air, just as the three cars passed below them. Mike quickly looked to the side to see Don stepping back from the side of the building, and Mike realized that Don had thrown the shiny objects, whatever they were. The loud sound of popping tires followed and the two cars escorting the armored car wheeled wildly out of control, the lead car skidding into a nearby building. The driver of the armored car was apparently too surprised to stop in time, because the big armored vehicle plowed into the smaller car with the force of a battering ram sending it rolling. It rolled three times before landing on its wheels, and by that time the driver of the armored car had managed to get the wheel turned to the side sending the car careening into a rather large side alley and into a sturdy brick wall.The last car had ended up on its side a half a mile back and the occupants were now running down the street towards the armored car. Mike grimaced and lowered the binoculars.

"Hope everyone was wearing their seatbelts."

Don snorted. "Come on, there are still four hostages." Without waiting for a reply he turned and dashed across the roof, leaping majestically across the space between the roof they were on to the next one and landing on his feet.

"Don..wait.." Mike said following quickly.

"I'm all for rescuing those hostages but those guys have automatic machine guns." He said catching up to Don and running beside him.

"So?" Don said shrugging and leapt another rooftop.

Sighing, Mike followed.

Both skidded to a stop at the edge of the last building, overlooking the alleyway where the armored car had crashed.

Don bent low watching intently as the hostages were dragged from the armored car and shoved roughly into a corner where four men stood guard over them with large automatic weapons. The rest of the robbers spread out across the alley towards the street, guns ready, apparently under the impression that the cops had done something to their cars. When it became obvious that no cops were in sight they stood around looking puzzled. A few went to help their friends in the first car, and bent to examine the pieces of metal stuck in the tires. Don watched their movements with a grim look on his face, his eyes taking in their features, their clothing, and their weapons.

Mike knew the way Don was watching the men, and he knew how fast his brother thought, he could almost see a plan forming up in Don's brain. "Don don't even think about us taking on those guys, they'd turn us into Swiss cheese before we even hit the ground."

Don bent and took a few things from his bag, stuffing them into the pockets of his jacket before handing the bag to Mike. "You save those hostages, and get them out of here."

"Why don't we both save them and get the heck out of here."Mike suggested.

Don looked at his brother sideways. "Because they'd turn us into Swiss cheese." He said and leapt off the side of the building.

Mike wanted to scream at his brother but restrained himself and did what Don had told him to do. As the sounds of automatic gunfire echoed across the alley, Mike forced himself not to look at what his brother was doing and focus on saving the hostages. A quick noiseless leap to a fire escape below him got him closer to the corner where the hostages were being held. The four guards had turned at the sound of gunfire and were now facing away from their hostages, giving Mike the perfect opportunity to drop right down into the middle of them. Before they could even comprehend that they were under attack Mike had already dropped one with an elbow to the face, taken his gun and knocked a second out with it. As the third and forth turned towards him Mike dropped to the ground in a split and spinning knocked their feet out from under them. One got back up almost immediately but Mike knocked him out with a round house kick, and flipped the last one across the alleyway into a nearby dumpster. With all four lying on the ground groaning Mike kicked the weapons away and turned to look at the four hostages who were backed up against the wall, their eyes wide and fearful eyes. " I'm not going to hurt you." He said holding up his hands to show he was harmless. They continued to look wide eyed but at a point over his shoulder instead of him, Mike turned following their gazes. In his concentration he had failed to notice that the gunfire behind him had turned into sounds of fighting and cries of pain, now he watched in amazement as Donatello leapt, kicked, and punched his way through at least five different robbers. Don's teeth were gritted, and his face was painted with hatred; he was fighting not to simply knock his opponents out as Mike had done, but to literally incapacitate them. Don not only broke teeth, noses, and jaws, but arms and legs too, aiming his blows to cause the maximum amount of pain. Two men ended up getting rammed head first against a brick wall, and another used as a battering ram to knock out more of his fellows. Now more men were rushing into the alley and Mike realized he had better quit gawking and get the hostages out of danger. Looking around he caught sight of an old boarded up door at the other side of the alley, and he ran towards it. A few good kicks got the boards loose and the door broken open, and Mike stuck his head into the building to check it out before allowing the hostages to go in. A quick search revealed that the building was recently abandoned, and there was another door on the other side of the building that led to another street, far enough away from the scene of the fight for the punks to get a hold of the hostages again. He returned to the alley in time to knock out another robber who had apparently snuck out of the back of the armored car. He had the hostage's full attention now and he pointed towards the now open door.

"There's the way out, get somewhere safe and call the police!" He told them urgently. They seemed shocked at first that he was letting them go, but they gradually got the idea he wasn't going to attack them too and all four made a mad dash for the door. Mike sighed. "You're welcome." He said shaking his head…then something large and heavy landed on top of him.

Michalangelo fell plastron first to the ground with a yelp and craned his head to see what had hit him. He saw a fat flabby leg, a bulbous stomach covered in black cloth, and a large flabby arm…. with a purple Dragon tattoo on it. As Mike struggled a large face with at least two double chins leaned down into his vision and grinned at him menacingly. "Hey I just had this shell waxed." Mike exclaimed writhing as hard as he could. Nothing he could do however could dislodge the man sitting on top of him. Two more men came into his range of vision, both smiling evilly. They held guns.

"Donnie, need some help over here!" Mike called looking up towards his brother only to see a goon Don had just taken out pull himself to his elbows, take a gun from one of his boots and take aim at the black masked turtle. Donatello was too busy fighting his attackers to notice. Mike struggled again but he couldn't get to his Nunchuku. "Donnie look out!" he yelled. Don kicked his last attacker in the neither regions, slammed his knee into the man's face as the man bent over in agony and then tossed the man to the ground; he whirled just as the punk with the gun pulled the trigger.

Fortunately for Donatello the man was shaking from pain and fear and the bullet went wide, merely grazing his arm and burying itself in a nearby wall. Donatello looked down at his arm and he blinked.

That was all.

He then looked back to the punk with the gun- and his eyes narrowed. He then stepped forward and kicked the gun from the man's hand before the punk could get off another shot. He then picked the man up held him in the air above him with one arm and proceeded to hit him with a right cross that was so hard it cracked the man's jaw. As the man howled in pain, Don turned and tossed him bodily into the side of the van.

Panting, Donatello made a show of dusting off his hands, and completely ignoring the blood running down the side of his arm turned to face the last remaining punks sitting on and standing around Michalangelo.

"Next." He said crossing his arms across his plastron.

The punks looked at one another and they all rushed Donatello. Rubbing his head Mike pulled himself to his feet and turned to watch as Don took on all three punks alone. The costumed turtle considered joining in then realized it would be no use, Don had everything under control. Watching his brother punch, kick and generally beat the three punks into mush, Mike began to feel something he had never before felt in his life in regards to his brainy brother..fear. He was becoming very afraid of Donatello, and it was a feeling he did not like.

Don finished off his last round of attackers and proceeded to kick the one who had shot him in the stomach repeatedly. It was all Mike could do to pull his brother off, Donatello seemed to be a lot stronger than he had been.

"That's enough Donnie, the guy's already out." Mike said angrily pointing down at the unconscious punk.

Don frowned at his costumed brother, then looked down at the punks and finally nodded. "You're right Mike." He sighed. "I lost my temper."

Mike raised an eye ridge and regarded his brother skeptically. Donatello didn't look like he'd lost his temper, in fact he looked like the picture of calm and tranquility. Mike felt a shudder go down his spine and he turned away before his fear showed on his face.

"Come on, lets just get back to the lair. Sensei's going to kill me I know it."

"No he won't I'll tell him I made you come. You're not responsible for me, I can make my own decisions." Don said shaking his head.

"Good then Sensei can ground you for the rest of your life and not me." Mike replied angrily. Don didn't notice, he went to the corner where he had dropped his bag, picked it up and calmly slung it around his shoulder.

"Well I'd say that was a successful test run, don't you?" he said walking towards the nearest manhole. That was when they heard the engine of the armored car turn on, both turned in unison to see a robber sitting behind the wheel. The man was bleeding from a wound across his forehead but his face was full of hatred, he turned his sights on the two turtles and the armored car shot forward with a loud squealing of tires.

Michalangelo jumped instinctively out of the path of the van but Don stood his ground,he turned to face the armored car as it barreled towards him and his eyes narrowed. Seconds before the vehicle hit him he leapt into the air to land on top of it. From an inside pocket of his jacket he took a small device that looked like a turtle shell with a big red button in the middle of its back, laying flat on the armored car as the driver careened in circles trying to knock him off Don reached down and placed the device on the windshield. The driver saw this and turned the wheel sharply causing Don to loose his balance, he fell sideways grasping for a hold on the metal of the car but failing because it was too smooth. He fell off the car, just managing to save himself from splattering on the pavement by catching the large double mirrors on the side. The man careened off the street, aiming for a building hoping to smash the turtle between the car and hard brick. Don pulled a device with several buttons on it from another pocket, grinning up at the driver he pressed one...and let go of the mirror. The driver opened the door and dove out just as the front of the armored car exploded sending the car careening out of control to crash head first into a building. A few seconds later the car exploded as well. Both Don and the driver hit the ground while they were still moving rather fast, and ended up flipping head over heels several times before ending up in two motionless piles on the ground. In the distance the sounds of fire crackled and police sirens wailed. A figure snuck out of a nearby alley, grabbed the dazed Donatello by his arms and dragged him into the darkness between the buildings…just as the police screeched onto the scene.

Splinter dragged his son behind the bulk of a dumpster, and let him rest gently against the wall. Don's eyes were half closed, his head lolled against the wall. Splinter checked his son for injuries, but found that he had escaped from the fall with little more than bruises.

"Donatello." Splinter said with worry putting a hand to his son's forehead.

" Sensei?" Don gradually began to shake off the shock he had received from the fall, and was extremely puzzled to see his father standing in front of him. "W..where's Mike." He asked looking around.

"Here Don." Mike's voice came from above them, he leapt down from a fire escape Don's bag in hand. "I got your bag. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, what about the hostages."Don said sitting up, he was shaking though and Splinter could see that he wasn't as fine as he said he was.

"They're safe, I found a way out of the alley through a door in the back. Told them to call the police. You're going to have one heck of a road rash you know Don, not to mention your arm." Mike looked concerned kneeling beside his brother.

"Pain isn't important, I'll get over it. I'm fine." Don said gritting his teeth and trying to get to his feet.

"Donatello be silent and sit still! You have done some foolish things in your life but this was perhaps the most foolish one of all. Do you realize how close you came to being killed?" Splinter said angrily.

"I had it all planned out Sensei..besides we had to save those people." Don started with a grimace.

"Indeed and you took a very large chance in doing it..was this part of your plan as well?" Splinter said pointing to Don's arm.

When Don didn't answer he sighed. "Not even you can plan for every possibility my son, you were too overconfident and ignored the danger that was right in front of your eyes."

Don closed his eyes and lay his head back not saying anything.

It was probably the smartest answer he could have given.

"Michelangelo, carry your brother to the manhole we will return him to the lair where I can properly treat his injuries." Splinter said.

Mike nodded, and pulling Don's arm around his neck helped him to a manhole in very back of the alley. There they slipped down into the sewers and quickly made their way home.


	6. The talk

Once they were back in the lair Splinter went to work taking care of Don's minor injuries, berating him for his disobedience, his overconfidence and his foolhardiness. Relieved that he wasn't going to get blamed for what happened, Mike left his brother to their father's care and went to stand a safe distance away to watch the unfolding events. He didn't see or hear Leonardo and Raphael walk up behind him and started when his blue masked brother put a hand on his shoulder.

"Mike what's going on?"

"Donnie's in trouble all the way up to his neck, that's what's going on." Mike said shaking his head.

"Why, what did he do?" Leo looked toward Don and Splinter.

"Do you want me to keep it PG or do I have to go through the whole horror movie?" Mike said pulling off his Turtle Titan mask and looking at it with disgust.

"Was it that bad?" Raph looked alarmed.

"Let's just say Don made Casey look like a normal well adjusted person."

"I can hear you back there you know Mike." Don said angrily turning to look at his brother. Mike saw a glint in Don's eyes and actually took a step backwards.

"Uh, sorry Donnie." He smiled apologetically.

Splinter dabbed Don's arm with hot water, and the black masked turtle clenched his teeth trying not to show any sign of pain.

"I cannot believe you have disobeyed my orders Donatello, you above all your brothers." The elderly rat said angrily shaking his head.

"I'm fine Sensei you shouldn't worry so much."

"How can I not worry, you have been seriously injured and have only just woken from a deep coma. You have not had a chance to completely regain your former strength or abilities.. You could have gotten killed."

Splinter reprimanded as he finished bandaging his son's wound.

Don looked up at his father and sighed. " I apologize for disobeying your orders and worrying you Sensei, but I had to."

Splinter he looked up at his other three sons and gestured in the direction of the kitchen. "I want you all to go to the kitchen, your brother Donatello and I need to talk."

"Yes Sensei." Leonardo said, bowing slightly.

Mike sighed and bowed as well. "Aye, aye Captain."

"Come on Mike, I'll make you some tea." Leo put a hand on his brother's shoulder and led him to the kitchen.

"Donatello." Splinter said pointing to his room, Don got up and stomped towards it. Splinter sighed. He was beginning to worry about Donatello. His intelligent son had been acting strangely ever since he had woken from his coma. He was darker, his manner tainted by a slight ring of arrogance that Splinter had never seen before. Where before Donatello had always held back in fights, always taking care never to harm others unnecessarily; he did not hold back now. He was no longer the gentle soul he had been; his movements were cold, precise and even violent. And as apparent by Don's display of fighting skills on the streets above, he was also stronger, swifter and faster than he had been. It wasn't just all that that caused Splinter to worry about the mental health of his son however, it was his sons newly developed instability. Splinter had listened in on the conversation between Don and Mike up on the rooftops and was now seriously wondering if his son hadn't lost his mind. Splinter had seen how Don sometimes developed that strange light in his eyes and it even sent shivers down the elderly rat's spine. The Splinter was perplexed, he knew that the turtle who had just woken up from his coma was his son Donatello…and yet he wasn't Donatello. His mind still had the slight resonance that Donatello's mind always had..yet it had the resonance of something else as well. Whatever it was he knew they could not afford to let Don continue on the way he was going, Splinter knew that if they did they would be standing at his graveside by the end of the month; and he was determined never again to loose a member of his family. He thought of loosing his Master Yoshi again and squeezed his walking stick tightly. He would not loose any one of his sons…even if it cost him his own life.

Don was standing sullenly in the middle of the room when Splinter came in and closed the door. Splinter walked to within a few feet of his son and then calmly folded his hands over the top of his walking stick.

"Tell me my son, what have I done to cause you to loose your respect for me?"

Don's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "Sensei, I will never loose my respect for you.."

"And yet you question my judgment, ignore my warning that you should not go to the surface and you almost get yourself killed in the process. Even then, you still continued to question my judgment and my wisdom."

The shock in Don's eyes was evident as he quickly knelt before his father and put a hand on his Sensei's small shoulder. "Sensei, I do not question your judgement, nor do I find you in any way weak. You are the greatest and most skilled fighter I have ever seen, and I believe that you are even wiser than Master Yoshi himself."

"Then why is it, my son that you continue to question me? I do not restrict you to the lair to punish you, but because I care for you. You and your brothers are my life my son, you four are all that I have in this world. When you were injured I feared that you would die my son, and you cannot imagine the pain that I felt at the prospect of loosing you. I would rather die the most painful death imaginable a thousand times over, than loose one of you…my precious sons. I was overjoyed when I knew that you would live, and though my heart is still joyful that you are still here my son. It is sadened once again by this change I see in you."

Don looked down, " I wish I could appologize for being what I am Sensei, but I cannot."

Splinter regarded his son with a searching look. "I was there when you had your, discussion, with Michelangelo above. I overheard your statement as to who you belive yourself to be. Is this why you do not listen?"

Don looked up surprised again. He hadn't meant for anyone else to hear what he had said to Mike. "You might think I am crazy Sensei, but I am not that Donatello. You base your assessment of my condition on what you know about him..but not about me. You aren't wrong Sensei, merely misinformed. That Donatello wouldn't be up to going up to the city, I am different."

Splinter's expression didn't change. "Explain."

"Something, I don't know what, happened in that accident. The Donatello you're thinking about went to sleep, and I woke up. I am not who he is; I am more than he is, more than he could be, more than he would even want to be. He values his intelligence over his ability to fight, he values peace, talking things out, he abhors using his skills to injure others. I am different; I value both intelligence and fighting skills, I believe that both mind and body can be a weapon..and used together they can be the most powerful weapon of all. If one is lacking the other will be weakened. I value action over words, fighting over talking, I value the strength that comes from superior abilities. The likes of Shredder, and his Foot Ninja, or those Purple Dragons..they are evil, despicable, vile excuses for human beings. Every day they lie, they cheat, steal, destroy, and defile anything and everything they come in contact with, they do not deserve mercy..they deserve justice, they deserve pain. I have no qualms with giving them everything that they dish out, in double portions. And I can do so as well." A fierce and angry look on his face, Don stood and backed away from his Sensei, opening and closing his hands. "My mind remembers Sensei, everything you've ever taught him, every technique of Ninjitsu he's ever seen; and my muscles do whatever my brain tells them to. I'm sure he could do the same if he wished it; I am sure that if he really tried he could be as good as Leonardo, but he doesn't wish it..he holds back. I do not, and I will not."

Splinter regarded his son for a few minutes and then his eyes narrowed.

"I see." Splinter said. "You have given me much to think about.

Don regarded his Sensei crossing his arms across his plastron. "I apologize if you do not like who and what I am, but I will not change. I am better than he will ever be, and I like it."

"I am sorry too my son. Very sorry. You may leave now, I have much to meditate on."

Don raised an eye ridge. "That's it, you're not going to punish me?"

"No my son, I do not believe it will do any good." Splinter shook his head and turning went to the back of his room where he simply sat down and began to meditate.

Don's eye ridges furroughed at the answer and he turned and stalked out of the room.


	7. Puzzling pieces

"Man I never thought I'd see what I saw today."

" What do you mean Mike?" Leo asked pouring Mike a cup of tea, then pouring himself one and calmly sitting down in a chair.

"We ran into some armed robbers up there and Donnie kicked their butts so bad they'll be in traction for the rest of their lives. He pulverized them, I mean really ground beef pulverized them. You should have seen what he did to the guy who tried to run us down with the armored car."

Leo frowned. " That's not like Donatello, he usually goes out of his way to avoid hurting others unnecessarily."

Raph shook his head. " Where have you been Leo? Dontcha remember how he acted at that training session? And now he's even disobeyin Master Splinter. He's actin more like me than me."

Mike sighed."You should have been there. I've never seen Don move like that, he was fast. He's stronger too, and then when that punk shot him he just..blinked..that's all."

Leo's frowned deepened and he tapped the side of his cup with a finger. " I think you'd better start from the beginning Mikey, when did all of Don's strange behavior begin?"

"After he woke up from his coma." Mike shrugged.

"Then start there."

A bit later Mike had finished telling the story of what had happened up top..and Leo and Raph were trying valiantly to understand it all.

"Confusing as hell huh."Mike said with raised eye ridge.

Leo turned the now cold cup of tea around in place, lost in thought.

"I just can't believe Don would be so violent." Leo said after a time.

"Just believe it, you don't want to see it. He scared me Leo, he really truly scared me."

" He didn't try an hurt you did he Mikey?" Raph asked frowning.

"Of course not, Raph. He made me get the hostages so I would be out of danger." Mike said incredulously.

"Then why did he scare you?" Leo looked puzzled.

"Have you seen that smile of his Leo? Have you seen that look he gets in his eyes or even listened to his voice? He keeps saying that he isn't our Donatello, that he's another Donatello..and he says it like our Donatello isn't there anymore. I'm tellin you guys I'm starting to wonder if Don isn't a few pepperoni slices short of a full pizza."

"But why? What could have caused this all of a sudden?"

"It's just a wild guess but mebby gettin hit by a green energy ball, knocked offa a balcony en electrocuted?"Raph suggested with a hint of sarcasm.

Leo gave his brother a look. "Your sarcasm is not helping the situation."

"No, but it makes me feel better." Raph grinned.

"Well I'll feel better when we've figured out what's wrong with Don." Leo crossed his arms across his plastron, authoritatively.

"I thought we already knew what wuz wrong with Donnie, he's actin like a nut job."

"Yes but if we want to help him we have to know why he's acting like that. What if that accident did something to his brain? I've heard stories of people getting injured and waking up with completely different personalities." Leo said his face looking worried.

Mike sat up strait. "Really? Did any of them ever get back to normal?"

Leo grimaced. "Actually no they didn't the change is usually permanent."

"That's not good Leo."

"I know, look when he was talking about his idea for a costume did he say why he wanted it?"

"He said he's planning on going after that metal foot guy when the costume's done, or start his plan for going after the foot guy. "

" What? Alone?" Leo asked alarmed.

"Yeah and he doesn't want us helping him. He said he wants us out of harms way..and out of his way. He wants to do it himself."

"Going up against that guy alone is suicide!" Raph said angrily.

"We wanted Don to come up with a plan to defeat him, it looks like that's what he's doing." Leo said, then he stood. "Only he's doing it alone.I'm going to have talk with him, and see if I can't get him to tell me what he's up to."

He went to the door, with Raph behind him and stopped to see if Mike was following. When it was apparent that Mike wasn't going to follow Leo said. " Are you coming?"

Mike shook his head emphatically. "No way Leo. I've had enough excitement today, I need a break before I start loosing it too."

"Forget it Mike you lost it a long time ago." Raph snorted and strolled out of the room.

Leo threw Mike another glance and followed.

Mike watched them go, his face pensive. He hadn't told them but his real reason for wanting to stay away from Don was something other than too much excitement.

He had always looked up to Don, and considered his brainy brother one of his closest friends..but Don's new personality had un-nerved him. He was trying to reconcile the Donnie that he remembered with the one he had just seen beating the stuffing out of bad guys above; and it just wasn't working. He hated the creeping fear he got crawling up his spine whenever he saw his brother now, he hated the profound uneasiness Don's mere presence caused in him, and most of all he hated being afraid of his own brother. Mike shook his head and sighed. "This week sucks." He said to himself.

* * *

Don was just stalking out of Splinter's room when they came into the living room.

"You okay Donnie?"Raph asked seeing the painful looking red, rash on Don's arms, hands, and legs.

Don stopped and regarded his brothers a few seconds before continuing on towards his lab. "I'm fine." He said.

"You keep saying that but I'm not seeing anything fine about you." Leo said. "We're worried about you."

"I'm touched." Don said sarcastically as he went to the couch grabbed his bag and stalked towards his lab.

"Look if you've got a plan to take out that Foot you have to share it with us. We're a team, you can't go up against that Foot alone."

"I have the makings of a plan but it requires time, skill and research. Before I can do all of that however, I have to be ready."

" Ready for what, what are you planning?" Leo asked his voice pleading. "Please just tell us, we want to help you. I can't just accept that you're going to go out there and face that guy alone..I don't want you to get hurt!"

"You gotta let us in Donnie, we're bros remember? The four of us.." Raph added his face earnest.

Don stopped at the door to his lab and turned back to his brothers. For a moment his face softened and he placed one hand on Raph's shoulder, the other on Leo's.

"I'm sorry, I have to do this alone." He said, then he stepped into his lab and closed the door behind him leaving his frustrated brothers behind him.

Inside his lab Don stalked to a table and upended the contents of his bag onto it, then he angrily tossed the bag away. For a second he stood staring into nowhere, lost in his own mind as a calm reasonable voice inside of his head pleaded with him to tell his brothers everything and let them help. He was tempted to just open the door and tell Leo and Raph everything, but he didn't. What he had planned was far too dangerous to get his brothers involved, he knew that at first letting them help might make things go faster and easier; but afterwards it would only put them in unnecessary peril. They had already faced the Foot once and it was only a miracle that he had still let them live after he had beaten them. Don didn't have any faith the metalic maniac would be so generous second time.

He stopped, then shook his head and gave a half grin. Who was he fooling? Certainly not himself. All that rationalizing was just a weak excuse really, an excuse for his real reason for going after the Foot without his brothers at his side.. he worked alone. Pure egoism he knew but unlike the other Donatello; the peaceful, gentle wimp who was useless in a real fight; he the new Donatello was a good fighter. In fact he considered himself a better fighter than Mike, or Raph and possibly just as good as Leo. It was something in the way his muscles seemed to be directly connected to his brains, he could remember with cristal clarity every technique, every Ninjitsu move the other Donatello had ever seen or done..and pull it off himself with something near perfection. He didn't know how he did it, nor did he care, he just knew he was good. He did not want his brother's help because he didn't want them getting in his way..or taking any of his glory when the monster Foot was finally defeated. No, he decided.. it was a plan best carried out by one, and that one would be him. He worked alone, and he would find it and the Foot Soldier wearing it, and he would defeat them…alone.

He needed more time to solidify his plans, and find out more about the Foot's weakness..but he was beginning to think his brothers wouldn't give him that time. They would insist on talking to him, insist on learning his plans. If they pressed to hard he realized he would probably have to leave, it was something he didn't really want to do, but to keep them out of his buisness..to keep them safe and out of harms way..he would do it. Not now though, for now he would wait..and plan. He cast a glance over the things on the table and taking up a few spare parts went to work.


	8. Dark Turtle rising

The next day Leo came up with another plan to try and get more information out of Donatello. He had Raph break one of their Game Station controllers, and sent the red masked turtle to Don's lab with the pretense of getting the controller fixed..only in reality he would be trying to coax Don into revealing more of his plans.

When he got there Raph found the door open and heard sounds of rock music, Metallica by the sound of it, floating out of the room. Peering in he found Don hard at work on something with a welder, his face hidden by a pair of protective goggles. Behind Don, hanging from the wall was a large suit. It was completely black in color, the torso was large enough to accommodate Don's shell but streamlined enough to look sleek; It looked as hard as steel but seemed quite bendable and flexible. The arms and the legs of the suit were the same, strong and durable yet bendable enough to allow its occupant to move freely. The suit was completed with a pair of heavy duty boots that, seemed to have something in the soles and he guessed they were the anti-grav boots Mike had talked about. There was no mask but Raph sure that the large swath of black cloth on Don's work table would soon become one. Raph cleared his throat to try to get his brother's attention and knocked on the door frame."Uh, Donnie can I talk to you for a second." He said, raising his voice over the double noise of music and the hissing of the welder.

Don looked up at his brother, then looked back down at his work and continued what he was doing. Raph felt a surge of annoyance, but pushed it back down. He waited for Don to finish with what passed for patience, and what was for him a very reasonable amount of time. When he finally started to get annoyed again, Don finished his welding; shutting off the torch and standing upright, he reached over and turned the music down slightly. Still wearing his goggles over his eyes the brainy turtle looked at Raph, down at the broken toy in his hands, and then back up at Raph.

"Lose your temper again?"

Raph grinned sheepishly. "Uh, yeah.. do you think you can…" Raph started.

Then was surprised into silence when Don simply reached over to a table and picking up a screw driver handed it to Raph. Raph stared at the screw driver like it was some strange foreign object and then looked at Don.

"What am I supposed ta do with that?"

"It's a screwdriver Raph, I know you know what it is. I've seen you use it on your Shell Cycle."

Raph continued to stare at Don, his eye ridges furroughing.

Don sighed and pushed his goggles up on his forehead, he was still mask-less and Raph could see the annoyance on his brother's face clearly.

"You can fix a motorcycle but you can't fix a Game Station controller?" He asked condescendingly.

Raph's eye ridges furroughed even further and his look became quite dangerous.

"Maybe I can." He said slowly.

"Then do it. I don't have time to fix everything you destroy in your infantile fits of rage. I have much more important things to do you know." Don turned the music back up, yanked the goggles back over his eyes and turning whatever it was he was working on its side he flipped the welder back on. If Raph's skin color could have changed to match his feelings he would have been red from head to foot. The arrogance with which Don had spoken to him had pressed all the right buttons and the red masked turtle was now angry enough to shove the screwdriver he held in his hand up an unmentionable part of his brother's anatomy.

Don looked up at his brother, either unaware of or not caring about the red masked turtle's state of rage, and frowned. "Are you still here?"

The comment hit the last and final button in Raph's mind, one marked " Unbelievably pissed off." Red flashed in front of his vision, for a second he forgot he was there to talk to his brother and was about to bodily attack Donatello.

Then he heard Leo's cautioning voice in his mind and held back.._Leo said he ain't actin like himself...he really ain't actin like himself.._ Raph told thought and over again trying to get a grip on his anger. _But he is actin like a friggin asshole._

Clenching the game controller in one hand and the screw driver in the other Raph turned and stalked off. Donatello looked up at Raph's retreating figure, shook his head and continued with his work.

* * *

_Thunk_

A screw driver embedded itself in the wood of the kitchen table just inches from Leo's plate, and the blue masked turtle looked up from munching on a sandwich to see Raphael stalk into the kitchen so pissed off he was snorting in rage.

"I guess it didn't work." Leo said putting down his sandwich.

"That friggin prick, if he wasn't Donnie I'da taken that friggin welder of his and shoved it down his friggin throat." Raph snarled storming around the room gesturing with his arms.

"Did you get to talk to him?" Leonardo asked.

"No Leo, I didn't. He was too busy pissin me off."

Leonardo frowned. "It looks like we'll have to try something else then. Did you see anything in there?"

"He's workin on somethin that's all I can tell, and he had some sort of suit hangin in the back of his lab. Looked like somethin Batman would wear."Raph said yanking a chair back and throwing himself into it with such force that it almost unbalanced and fell backwards.

Leo clenched a fist and hit the table. "I just wish he would tell us what he's up to"

"Even if we did know what he was plannin, what exactly do ja think we could do about it? Knock him out and tie him to the bed?"

"I don't know, Raph, I don't think that would even work, he'd get loose somehow I'm sure. I'm going to try to talk to him alone."

"Good luck with that, I don't think he wants ta talk to us. I'm bettin he's purposely tryin ta piss us off so we'll leave him alone." Raph crossed his arms across his plastron.

Leo nodded."You're right Raph, that's exactly what he's doing. Well I'm not going to let him do it this time, I know how to stay calm. If I can't get anything out of him then I'll send Mikey, Don seems to confide in him more than us."

" I hope you know what you're doin Leo, what if he gets worse?"

" We have to try Raph, what if he's telling the truth and he isn't our Donatello but another personality altogether? What if our Don's still there somewhere. We have to try and get though to him."

Raph sighed and nodded. " Fine, I'll go get Mike."

"Get Sensei too and meet me back here in the kitchen, if this doesn't work we're going to have to come up with a plan ourselves. We can't let Don go up top in that costume alone, if he runs into that Foot Soldier or Shredder he's going to get himself killed."

Looking bleak, Raph nodded.

* * *

Leo found Don in front of a table in his lab, hunched over a small device, working on it with a much smaller screwdriver. Leo stood for a minute, not speaking or moving, simply watching Don work. At first he didn't seem aware that his oldest brother was even there, but eventually Don looked up without moving his head.

"Can I do something for you Leonardo?" he asked with the slightest hint of annoyance.

"No I just came to see how you were doing."Leo said with a disarming smile, and a one shouldered shrug as he leaned against the doorframe.

"Really." Don asked his eyes going back to his work, his tone of voice indicating he didn't believe a word of it. "I'm touched by this sudden interest in my state of health."

"Well you've had a rough month." Leo said.

"Yes.." Don said vaguely not really agreeing with Leo's statement, but just saying the word. His eyes looked back up at Leo. " First Raph shows up in an ill concealed attempt to strike up a conversation with me..your idea I'm sure.. and now here you are. I suddenly feel so loved."

"I know what you're trying to do you know, Don. You don't have to push me away." Leo said looking sad.

Don let out a snort of derogatory laughter. "I'd have to do more than push for the three of you to get the point, really it's not as if I've been subtle. If I put up a large flashing neon sign saying "Leave me alone" would you notice?"

Leo sighed. "Now you're just being rude."

"Well nothing else seems to work." Don stood suddenly sliding his chair back and putting down his tiny screwdriver. He came around the table and went to Leo, grabbing his arm and leading him gently into the room, gesturing with his free hand.

"Look Leonardo, let's get something straight right now. In a few minutes you're going to start this, "Donnie, you're not acting like yourself" routine and even though I'd love to spend the whole day trading one liners with you I simply don't have the time." He lead Leo to the back of the room where the black suit hung on the wall, next to it hanging on a hook was his purple mask, just under the mask was his Bo lying against the wall.

"I'm sure by now Mike's already told you everything I said up top, I didn't really have any faith in his ability to keep his mouth shut. Knowing Mike I'm sure the words nut, crazy or something similar came into the conversation somewhere." The olive skinned turtle sighed and looked up at the black suit. "I didn't expect him to understand everything, but I did expect him to understand something."

Leo looked up at the suit then back at Don. "It's, uh, nice Don."

One side of Don's mouth turned up in an ironic smile. " Don't pretend Leo, I know you think its nuts too. I don't care, this isn't for you it's for me. Remember when you were ambushed by the Foot and Shredder that time? Remember when you got hurt so badly? When you recovered you were the one who defeated the Shredder that day in his building, it was you who had to do it. Now think of this as something that I have to do. I'm not crazy, I'm not suicidal, you know I'm not stupid, I know exactly what I am doing." He looked over to Leo. "Which leads us to the main problem. You three say I'm not acting myself, you keep wondering if I haven't lost my mind. I'm going to repeat what I said up there and what I've already told Sensei. It appears he hasn't yet shared with you the conversation he and I had earlier."

Leo frowned. "No he hasn't."

"Well I'll give you the cliff notes version." Donatello pointed to the purple mask hanging rather forlornly from the wall. " That mask up there belongs to a Donatello, but it doesn't belong to me. That belongs to me." He pointed to the suit.

"I am a Donatello, but I am not that Donatello." He pointed back to the purple mask.

"You think I'm him, that I've lost my mind because I've been acting strange. But I'm not him, I'm me and I'm not acting strange because this is the way I act. You can see the difference as easily as you can see the difference between that mask and that suit."

Leo's eye ridges were furrouging. "Say for a second that I believe you. Where is our Donatello?"

Don crossed his arms across his plastron and shrugged nonchalantly. "He's here somewhere I'm sure. Whether he's aware of what's going on or simply dormant I don't know. I'm not a psychologist, I don't know a thing about multiple personalities and the like. I don't even know how where I came from. I feel like I've been here all Don's life, but I know that before the accident I didn't exist. I don't really care to be frank. I'm here Leonardo, and like it or not I'm not leaving." Don turned and went back to his work table. "Please just go and let me continue my work."

"You know better than to believe I'll just leave it at that." Leo said stepping forward. "Whether you're our Don or not, crazy or sane it doesn't matter you're still my brother and I still care about you. I will not stand by and let you willingly walk down a road that will end up causing your death. I came here to ask you once more to tell me what you are planning and work with me, work with Raph, work with Mike and Sensei."

Don sighed turning in place and leaning his shell against the work table. His face softened a bit as he saw the expression on his brother's face and heard the emotion in his brother's voice.

"And my answer is still no, Leo." He said shaking his head. " I have my reasons, and all of them are for your own protection." He said looking at his brother meaningfully.

Leo shook his head in frustration. "The only thing I think your protecting is your own ego. Can't you see that if you go up against that metal foot alone you're going to get killed? The three of us faced him and we got our shells kicked. He has almost de-powered the entire super hero population of New York , what chance does one non-powered turtle have against him?"

Don just shook his head.

"I told you I know what I'm doing Leonardo. I would like for you to leave now."

Leo glared. "Don." He started angrily.

"Out Leo, right now." Don said raising his voice slightly, anger rising in his eyes.

Leo let out a frustrated sigh and headed for the door. He stopped in the doorway and turned back. "I am not going to stand aside and let you kill yourself Donatello, I would rather die myself." he said and then walked out the door.

Don slammed the door behind him and cursed. He turned and flitted angrily around his lab; kicking, punching and breaking things in a rage that would have shocked his brothers had they seen it. He had tried his best to keep his brothers out of his business, his various attempts to make them angry and push them away had worked quite well with the ever tempermental Raphael, but Leo and Mike had been immune to his attempts to provoke them; now it seemed they were determined to involve themselves no matter what. He knew he had not heard the last from Leonardo, the blue masked turtle would continue to try to talk to him, continue to try to convince him to let them help. Don shook his head, damn them they had driven him into a corner. He had been deliberately keeping them out of everything for their own good, but now he realized that it wasn't going to work any longer, as long as he was still in the lair they would not stop in their attempts to reach him. He came to a stop, tapping his fingers on a nearby table as he thought..then he shrugged. There was nothing to do now but leave the lair. He would not get any work done here anyway, his brothers would only hinder his work, and he needed full access to the city. He looked at his suit, it was almost finished but the anti-grav propulsion system in his boots needed to be tested. He supposed that his first night as a free turtle out on the town was the best time to test the boots. His gaze went to his lab table and he smiled to himself, the boots and some other things as well.

The nightly news on his TV caught his attention and he turned up the volume listening with growing anger as the TV anchor told about the metal Foot's newest attack..and showed shocking footage of the Silver Sentry himself being de-powered and beaten into the ground by the metal menace. Don watched the events his teeth clenching in anger and he slammed his fist against the table making everything on it jump. The great Silver Sentry himself had been taken down! It was unbelievable that such a thing could happen.

He looked to his table again, and picked up a newly finished invention that looked a bit like a Geiger counter- a device used to measure radiation levels- and a thoughtful look passed over his face as he held the device in his hand. The metal Foot Soldier had ran loose in his city long enough, it was time someone stood up and took action.

His smile grew again, as he turned to look once more at his suit.

It was time for a those tests.

Minutes later he had suited up, taking his bag and his new inventions and grinning he slipped out a grate in the back of his lab. He reflected back on his earlier deception, deliberately disobeying Splinter's order not to go up top; making his brothers think it was the only possible way he could get out of the lair. They would have no clue he was gone.

Perfect. He slipped his way through the sewers and to the surface, where a full bright moon was hanging in the night sky. He first performed several tests of his new suit and only when he was thoroughly satisfied with the results did he commence tests on another device he had come up with while lying in his bed, just after waking up from his coma. It was a tiny holo-generation device that attached itself to Don's belt and when activated produced an almost flawless hologram that covered the masked turtle from head to foot. With it he could walk through the middle of the city in broad daylight and no one would look twice at him..Because the hologram projected around his body made him look like just another ordinary human. It would have to be programmed with multiple images of course, and it was not a solid hologram but Don was more than pleased with its capabilities..and of course with his own genius. Using the device he was able to walk into a pizza restaurant, order a pizza to go, pay for it and leave without arousing even the slightest suspicion. He rewarded himself by sitting on a rooftop, and eating the entire pizza before finally turning his attention to the night's main goal. He took the device out of his bag and held it up in the light. He would need to find the metal foot first of course, but with the maniac's rampage it wouldn't be hard. Then he would have to be near the foot long enough to be able to get a full analysis on the suit. The hard part would be doing it without the foot's actually realizing what he was doing, if the Foot were to discover him he would be in trouble. He might be strong..but Don knew that he was not strong enough to stand a chance against the metal foot alone, or at least not yet. He thought about his Holo-Device but the chance was too great that the Foot's bag of tricks also might include some sort of special vision that would let him see through a hologram. No he would have to stick to the shadows and rely on his own ninja skills to keep him from getting himself killed.

A loud boom in the distance drew his attention and he turned to see a building go up in flames. Two of the few remnants of the city's super hero population flew over Don's head in the direction of the explosion and Don knew the metal menace had made himself known once more. Activating the antigravity generators in his boots he tossed his cape back out of the way and took off into the air after the powered heroes.

* * *

Hours later he was back into the sewers, monitoring device in hand grinning triumphantly. Not only had he gotten a full read up on the metal foot but had done it without the foot even noticing he was there. The metal maniac had had his hands full with the two super heroes, leaving Don to monitor him from the shadows of a nearby building. He had desperately wanted to help the two heroes in their fight but knew that the key to defeating the Foot was in the information he could learn about his metal suit. So even when the Foot unleashed his devastating attack that left the two heroes powerless Don kept to the shadows, getting a full reading on the energy discharged as the Foot de-powered the heroes. Only when the metal menace had had his fill of destruction and chaos and had flown away laughing like a maniac; did Don take the opportunity to get the two beaten heroes to a hospital. His mind raged at him for being a coward, but he presented his mind with the knowledge that the readings he had just gotten would pave the way to stopping the Foot for good; and told it to shut up. He now needed time to analyze the data and a safe place to do it in..a safe place that wasn't the lair. He pondered his options and finally came up with the perfect solution, the Battle Shell. It was big, stuffed to the gills with more equipment than he actually needed, it was armored and it had its own defenses, it was also mobile. Plus there was an added bonus in the fact that taking it would also hamper his brothers in any attempt they might make to find him after he left. He would just need to put the shell cycles out of working condition and any searching his brothers might be doing would be conducted on foot. He would certainly piss off Raphael by messing with his precious Shell Cycle but a pissed off Raph was better than a dead one.

His decisions made he slipped back into his lab and began to gather the things he needed, stuffing everything into his bag. He opened his door slightly and stuck his head out and listened to see if anyone was in the living room. He heard voices coming from the direction of the kitchen, and could just make out all three of his brothers and Splinter. Confident they would be too busy talking to hear him, he locked the door behind him to give them the impression that he was still in the room, and then he snuck across the living room; avoiding passing the kitchen by leaping up to the second floor railing and leaping back down to land right in front of the elevator that lead up to the warehouse above. He slipped as quietly as possible into the elevator hoping the slight swishing would not alert them and was relieved when the doors closed without incident. When the elevator opened in the warehouse above he first took some time to disable the engines of the Shell Cycles, then tossing his stuff into the front seat of the Battle Shell turned it on and simply drove away.


	9. The pieces fall into place

"I'm really worried about him Sensei, he's changed so much and like I told Mike and Raph I'm afraid that his accident might have had something to do with it." Leonardo, Raphael, Michalangelo and Splinter were in the kitchen, Leo having called everyone together to talk about what was wrong with Donatello. He had given his account of his conversation with Don and they were all looking very uncomfortable with what they had learned. Splinter in particular had a troubled look in his eyes, though for the moment he chose not to share his thoughts with the rest of them.

"On what do you base this assessment?" Splinter asked looking at his oldest son intently.

"On what he told me and the way he's been acting, also the fact that he only started acting strange after he woke up from his coma; before the accident he was completely normal. I've been doing some reading, it seems something like this has happened to many humans after trauma to the head. I think what happened to Don can seriously be considered traumatic."

"And have any ever returned to their former selves?" Splinter asked curiously.

"No they haven't." Leo said looking down.

"Great so does that mean we're stuck with that jerk?" Raph asked angrily.

"I don't know Raph but there's something else. He told me that he wasn't our Don but another Don, his own Don. What if the trauma he suffered could have created another personality. What if our Don is still in there somewhere?"

"Oh great so now Donnie's suddenly got a multiple personality disorder or somethin?" Raph asked incredulously.

"It's the only thing I can think of Raph, I'm not Don I don't have his knowledge." Leo shrugged sadly and shook his head. He turned to Splinter. "Don said he talked to you Sensei..what did he say?"

Splinter let out a heavy sigh. He looked at each of his sons sitting at the table in front of him. "He told me much the same that he told you Leonardo, that he is not our Donatello, but another. He was quite clear as to who he now is and how he feels about his former self. I found what I learned from him disturbing to say the least." He went on to describe what Don had said in detail.

"Why didn't you tell us before Sensei?" Leo asked when his master was finished.

"Because I have been meditating on this matter, trying to determine weither Donatello has merely gone insane or if he is truly as you believe..another personality entirely. You are correct in your assesement Leonardo. I have been observing Donatello and have indeed sensed something different in him, a personality that is his yet not his own. I do not know how or why, but he has apparently developed another personality. This new persona is now in complete control of his body, and our Donatello is still there lying dormant deep inside of his mind."

"What do you mean Sensei, that our Don's asleep?" Mike asked.

Splinter nodded. "Yes Michalangelo, though I do not know how to wake him or where this new personality might have come from."

"Do you think that we might be able to reach him Sensei?" Mike asked hopefully.

"We could try my son, but I do not know if we will be successful. Perhaps if I were to try through meditation.."

Leo shook his head scowling. "I don't know either you guys, I don't think he'll stay still long enough to let you. He told me he was here now and he wasn't going anywhere. This personality seems to be in total control, and it doesn't look like he'll give up Don's body without a fight."

"Look we're talkin about Donnie here, we gotta try. I don't know about you but I ain't spendin the rest of my life livin with that jerk. I can't even stay in the same room with the guy without wanting to wring his stupid neck. I ain't letting him take over our Don without a fight." Raph said with an empathetic shake of his head.

"He might not live long enough for us to try to bring Don back, wasn't he going to try and go after that metal foot alone?" Mike said his eyes widening.

"He's planning something all right but I couldn't get him to tell me what it was." Leo shook his head. "He's already made it clear that he doesn't want us involved, he told me it was for our own protection. I think he just doesn't want us getting in his way. He's got himself convinced he doesn't need us, that he doesn't want us. I think that's why he was acting like such a jerk, to push us away. I saw that suit of his I think it's already close to being finished, I have a feeling when its done he's going to start his plans."

"What, you mean he's already made it?" Mike asked sitting upright.

"Yeah I saw it too." Raph nodded.

"Guys it's just a feeling but what if he doesn't wait until the suit is done before he starts? What if he decides to go now?"

Leo's eyes widened. As one they all jumped to their feet.

They rushed towards Don's lab, Mike got there first and tried the door knob. It was locked. "Hey Don I got some more comics for you." Mike said loudly.

No response.

Mike looked to Leo. Leo nodded.

"How about a sandwich, you hungry?" Mike tried again.

Nothing.

Mike put his head to the door and listened. He looked up and shook his head.

"Quiet guys."

Splinter came forward and gave the door a sharp rap with his walking stick.

"Donatello, I want you to open the door this instant."

Still no response.

"Donatello!" Splinter said in his most commanding tone.

The quietness persisted.

Splinter nodded to Leo, Mike and Raph, and stood back. All three walked back a ways and ran forward leaping to kick the door. It gave way under their assault and slammed backwards against the wall. They all ran into the lab to find it almost completely empty. Donatello was gone, along with most of his tools and equipment, and his newly made suit.

"Man, everything's gone." Mike said looking around in wonder.

Leo gave the room a glance and then he ran for the door gesturing for them to follow him. "There's only on thing that could possibly transport all of that stuff.." he said running for the elevator that led up to their own private garage. When they reached the top they found the doors to the building wide open, and the Battle Shell gone.

Staring at the empty place where their van had been Raph punched a hole in the wall.

It said everything that needed to be said.


	10. Searching

There was no telling when he had left or how long he had actually been gone, but the three turtles searched Don's lab and his room looking for anything that might give them some clue where their brother had gone. When nothing was found they called April hoping he might have gone to her place..but she had not seen him.

Leaving a worried Splinter to try to reach Don on his shell cell the three turtles headed out into the city to try and find their wayward brother. Just like the armored Foot however, Donatello seemed to have vanished into thin air.

Finally they gave up and returned to the lair to find Splinter waiting for the expectantly.

"We're sorry Master, we couldn't find him anywhere. I don't think he even wants us to." Leo shrugged helplessly.

Splinter sighed squeezing his eyes shut and rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry Sensei we're not giving up. The sun's coming up so for now we're going to get some rest, replenish our energy and come up with a concrete plan, this running randomly around the city isn't going to help us find him." Leo said grabbing something from Don's desk and gesturing for them to follow him into the kitchen.

There Raph and Mike immediately dove into the fridge and the cabinets. Mike made them all sandwiches, and tossed a few bags of chips on the table, keeping one bag of nacho flavored corn chips for himself which he opened and began to eat noisily; Raph took some soft drinks out of the fridge and plopped them onto the table before making a grab for a sandwich.

"And just how are we supposta find him Leo? Plan or not he could be anywhere in the city, we gotta find him before he finds that foot." Raph stuffed his entire sandwich in his mouth and chomped on it angrily.

"Donnie might not be acting like himself but he's not stupid Raph, he's not going to go after that Foot until he's got a plan himself. Think about it, if you're going up against something like that metal foot you need to know his weak spots." Leo pushed aside the plate of sandwiches and a bag of chips and rolled a map out on the kitchen table.

"If it has any weak spots, that thing was pretty tough Leo." Mike said crunching loudly and messily on his corn chips and craning his neck to see Leo's map.

Leo frowned at the noise Mike was making with his nacho chips but tried to ignore it.

"Everything has a weakness Mike, and if there is one Don will find it. We just need to figure out where he might go first…hummm." Leo traced a finger across the map of the city, then stopped on a very familiar looking area.

Mike's eyes widened. "Hey that's where those foot stole the gauntlet in the first place, that's where all this got started."

"And probably where it was manufactured as well. If someone was looking for a weakness that will be the best place to look. We just have to hope he's not ahead of us and has already been there and left." Leo said looking over to Splinter.

Splinter studied the map for a second and looked to Leo. "It is a chance we must take my son, we must hope that Donatello will not make his move until tonight. Entering the building by day is too dangerous."

"He's got the Battle Shell he could hang out and wait anywhere he wanted." Raph frowned downing another sandwich.

" The Battle Shell is not exactly inconspicuous Raph, he'll have to hide out in an alley or an underground parking lot to keep from getting seen, probably in the area of that building." Leo rolled the map back up and squeezed it in a fist.

" That's it then, we get some rest and wait until just before sun down, then we head over to that factory and see if we can find Don."

"Do we try and talk to him again?" Mike asked licking his lips.

Raph shook his head. "Did a heck of a lot of good the last two times we tried it, I'm thinkin we outta follow him see where he goes."

"Agreed" Leo nodded. " We should also get April and Casey involved in this in case something happens. Mike get on the Shell Cell and call April, tell her what's happened and let her know we're going to need her help searching for Don." He looked over at Mike who has just stuck a handful of chips in his mouth, and he grimaced. "But wash your hands first." He looked over to Raphael. "You and I are going to search Don's lab and his room from top to bottom, we're looking for some kind of tracking device, if we loose him I want something on the Battle Shell that will lead us back to him."

Raph nodded, " Gotcha."

Leo looked over to Splinter. "Sensei, I think you should come with us tomorrow. Don respects you and when push comes to shove I think he'll listen to you."

"I was not planning on staying behind my son. I will not loose another member of my family." Splinter said with a determined look on his eyes. "Donatello has started down a dangerous path, we must stop him before he reaches the end of that path..and looses his life."

Mike gulped, and almost chocked on a piece of corn chip.

"Put those away moron, before you choke to death." Raph scowled.

* * *

The three turtles and Splinter rested and planned until evening came. When it was time, they got their weapons ready and headed for the door. Before they could leave however, April called on the Shell Cell.

"What is it April, we're just going out to look for Don." Leo said frowning.

"You don't have to, I've already found him. Turn on your TV to Channel 6!"

Glancing at one another they all ran to the TV and quickly flipped it to the right Channel.

There they found a news report already in progress about a mysterious new super hero that seemed to be at work in the city. Everyone was calling him The Dark Turtle. Several amateur photographers had managed to catch the new hero in action while he foiled a bank robbery. Don had changed the suit a bit since they had last seen it. There was a DT emblazoned in on the front of his suit, he now had a cape, a large belt that encircled his waist and went across both shoulders in an n X form; and on one side of the X form was a row of Shuriken. He had a black mask that covered the top of his head leaving only his lower jaw and neck visible, the DT symbol was also emblazoned on the front of the mask just where his forehead would be and to Leo it kind of resembled some sort of strange bandanna. His hands were gloved, and there were metal gauntlets around his wrists that seemed to house gadgets of some sort. Leo was surprised to see two Shredder like retractable claws on Don's gauntlets. All and all Leo had to admit to himself that Donatello did look pretty cool, if too heavily influenced by the comic books in his costume designing. Just because he looked cool however didn't mean that he had what it took to be a superhero like Silver Sentry. He might have been able to handle minor perps like bank robbers, muggers or the like but when it came to super villains like Shredder he would stand no chance against them alone. Leonardo was worried that Donatello might be getting in way over his head, and he didn't even seem to realize it.

That part of the newscast wound to an end with a report of yet another robbery by the metallic Foot, leaving the turtles feeling exasperated. Things were not going well for them, and they knew from experience things were going to get worse before they got better. By the time the sports started they were already out the door.


	11. And finding

The newscast featuring his picture had come and gone, Don had focused on it briefly to listen to what they had to say about him but when the sports started he ignored it again.

The first seed to becoming the most feared hero in the city had been planted, they knew he existed and were already speculating widly about him. Now all the had to do was defeat the Foot…and he could continue his other plans. He smiled as he thought about what the future held. If he were in the right position there was so much he could do for the city, given the right resources there was so much his incredible intelliect and his physical proweress could accomplish. In the beginning he had thought of trying to include his brothers in his plans, but had quickly come to realize it would be no use. They were set in their ways, they prefered to live in the shadows of the sewers like animals, instead of taking their rightful places above as protectors of the city. Don had little faith in their abilities anyway, he would be better off carrying out his plans on his own. He would miss them of course, and when his plans succeded he would graciously provide them places in the new world he had created but for now he would be on his own. He worked better alone anyway. Alone he would not only make the city a better place by ridding it of crime for good, but he would also use his intelligence to create inventions to improve the lives of its citizens. He nodded to himself as he mulled it over, yes he'd start small and work his way up. Perhaps he'd take over the old Stocktronics building Baxter had abandoned; once he had enough media attention and recognition he could go where he liked in the city, and move as freely as he pleased. He could do a lot with that old building of Baxters', even more than the fool Stockman could have ever dreamed of. Baxter Stockman had been a genious, but he had been foolish enough to let his ego get the better of him. Don would not make the same mistake. Yes the future was layed out in front of him for the taking..all he had to do was stop the Metalic Menace.

And of course Shredder.

At that thought Don frowned slightly..and then he shrugged. Shredder would be another matter entirely, but Don was confident that he would find a way to deal with the villan when the time came. For now the Metal Foot was his most pressing problem, and it was a a problem he indended to take care of..with prejudice.

Beeping and taping sounds filled the air inside the Battle Shell as Don put the on board computers to use analyzing the energy signatures he'd gotten from the Metal Foot's suit.

He frowned to himself as he examined the data he was getting, and he put a hand to his chin in thought. The energy signature wasn't terrestrial in origin, yet he wasn't sure it was entirely extra-terrestrial either. More analysis suggested the suit was actually using its human wearer's energy, feeding off of him. Don looked up at an electronic map of the city he had showing on a nearby screen. He would have to return to where the gauntlet had been made in the first place and see if there was any information he could find on it, and any possible weaknesses. He tapped the panel in front of him with a finger.

He would be returning to the place where it had all been started, his birthplace so to speak. He felt it ironic that to stop the metal foot and ensure a future for the city and for his brothers he'd have to go back into a place that represented the past. The gauntlet's past and his own past. Well not exactly his past, but perhaps his birth yes that was a better word. His creation.

Don thought about the new name the press seemed to have given him, it had a nice ring to it. He was a dark turtle, a new and improved version of Donatello. Better than Donatello had ever been..a Dark Donatello. Yes that sounded about right, a new name for an entirely new being.

Dark Don..it seemed…fitting.

He stared at the building marked on the map, he hoped there was something there to give him a clue as to the origins of the suit and any possibly weaknesses..if not the past wouldn't matter much anymore..because there wouldn't be a future.

He got inside the building with little trouble, they hadn't bothered to re-install the building alarm and there was no one on guard, probably because there wasn't much left to guard. As he crept across the familiar floor and up the familiar stairs, towards that door where he and Mike had first confronted the foot and the gauntlet; he began to hear voices coming from beyond the door. As he got closer he could hear that they were at least two men arguing heavily, who had already been arguing for a time.

"Now ah would like at know whut exactly it is yur doin' about findin' mah gauntlet Starling and how exactly yur plannin' on gettin it back from that maniac who's been using it ta rob, plunder and just about destroy half the damn city." Came an indignant voice with a country accent.

"I have the matter under control Mr.Kinglsy, things will be arranged shortly. The gauntlet will be returned to its rightful place by the end of the week. I guarantee it." The second man, presumably Starling spoke without emotion, his voice had cold, hard steel in it.

"Well ah'm not so sure ah should be puttin any stock in any o' yer guarantees Starling, seein as though ah gave you the task of keepin it safe in the first place en you managed ta loose it ta three men dressed in black pijamas and two men wearin' turtle costumes. C'mon Starling, two men in turtle costumes?" Said Kingsly condescendingly.

If possible the knives in Starling's voice were sharper when he spoke. "I don't know about those turtle men but those others weren't just men in pijamas. They were Ninja, Kingsly and not just any Ninja they were Foot Ninja. Do you know what that means?"

"Should ah??" Kingsly sighed.

"You should, the Foot Ninja belong to The Shredder. Surely you've heard of him." There was the slightest hint of an evil smile in Starling's voice then. Outside the door Don frowned. This Starling sounded dangerous, almost as dangerous as The Shredder himself.

Kingly made a choking sound. "Shredder?!"

"Yes Shredder." Starling said, clearly enjoying startling his employer.

"But…but..but…why?"

"You might want to let me check your employees again Kingsly, you probably have a member of his organization working here somewhere, a spy to put it literally. There's no other way he could have known about the gauntlet, I took every step necessary to conceal its existence completely."

"But you checked mah employees before we even got started on the whole damn thing, how the Sam hill could you miss one?"

"The only possible mistake on my part, I did not take it into account that Shredder might have somewhere working here. It might be a longtime worker who just happens to work for the Shredder on the side, Shredder might not have known about the manufacture of the gauntlet at all…until it was done."

Kingsly snorted. "Only possible mistake mah ear Starling. Fine, go over um again, it aint like their much use 'til we get that gauntlet back anyway. Now ah want you to stop being beatin around the bush and tell me exactly what it is that yur doing to get that gauntlet back."

"Do you really want to know Kingsly?" Starling asked coldly.

"Well o' course ah do otherwise ah wouldna asked it two times already, ah might sound like a country bumpkin ta you Kingsly but that don't mean ah'm anywhere near stupid." Kingly snapped back, clearly not intimidated by Starling at all.

"Of course not. I will be employing what are called Mercenaries." Starling said.

"Mercenaries?" Kingsly sounded puzzled. "Punks in body armor, and automatic weapons..them sort o' mercenaries?"

"Close. These "punks" as you put it are highly trained individuals, they will be employing weapons using high levels of electricity instead of automatic weapons, which will not work against the gauntlet's extended armor."

"Are you nuts Starling yur gonna fry the damn gauntlet completely!"

"It is the suit's only weakness, a low enough current will cause the gauntlet to retract the armor and put it into dormancy temporarily."

"Yeah en a high enough current's gonna turn it inta little bits o' metal on the sidewalk. This is one a dangerous game yer a playin Starling."

"These men are used to playing dangerous games, we don't know what the gauntlet can do Kingsly. Electricity is their only hope."

Kingsly gave in with a heavy sigh. "All right fine, Starling we're gonna do it yur way. But if that gauntlet ends up in a pile o' ashes yur out of a job. What about Shredder?"

"What about him?"

"Well do ja think he's just gonna stand aside and watch while a bunch o' Mercenaries attack two of his own Ninja?"

"We don't know really know if Shredder is even behind this crime spree, for all we know he could be after those two Foot himself. This is why it's better not to get involved ourselves and send in paid cannon fodder. If they get killed by the Shredder or the Foot all we've lost is a little bit of money."Starling sounded quite unconcerned.

"Only a little bit? I'da thought Mercenaries wouldna come cheap."

"You've got a lot of money Kingsly, it shouldn't bother your bank account in the slightest. The only important thing is they aren't traceable back to us. If the Shredder does kill them, he won't be able to find out who hired them. Which do you prefer, loosing a few thousand dollars or having a very angry Shredder standing on your doorstep?"

"I wouldn't want neither but since I don't seem ta have much of a choice, seems like we're gonna be spendin' a little bit over budget this month."

"I thought that might convince you." Starling said. Don could hear the smile.

They hammered out the details of paying the hired Mercenaries Starling had managed to find, Kinglsy gave Starling the money, and then both men could be heard walking towards the door. Thinking quickly Don backed up to the edge of the railing behind him and slowly let himself over the edge until he was dangling by nothing but his hands. He looked down and felt a strong sense of Déjà vu as the realized he was hanging once again above the same machine the other Don had been knocked into before. It wouldn't be a good idea to let himself fall this time.

The opening of a door and the sounds of footsteps.

"No mistakes this time Starling, that gauntlet wuz commissioned by a very important buyer an' mass producin it could jest bring us more money than we could ever dream of."

"Just trust me Kingsly, you'll have the gauntlet back by the end of the week." Starling sighed.

"Yeah well, we'll see about that won't we?"

The two men headed down the platform, and towards the stairs. Looking towards the distance Don realized that if they were to look up at the right time while going down the stairs they just might see him. He waited until they were just nearing the stairs and then he swung upwards flipping himself back up to the platform where he ran to the shadow covered corner. He half expected to hear shouts but neither of the men had seen him.

They went down the stairs, walked along the factory floor and went out the doors, leaving Don alone in the building. He waited long enough for them to get a suitable distance away, either by car or by foot, and then he snuck up to the door. It was locked.

The door had and electronic lock on it that only responded to a numbered code. This was no large problem for a turtle of Don's intelligence and abilities. Using a knife he got the top of the control panel off, and with the correct application of wires the doors opened. He quickly replaced the control panel and opening the door went inside.

The office was large and elegantly decorated, evidently Kingsly had expensive tastes.

On the left side was a desk and on that desk a large computer. Don checked the desk itself but found nothing over the gauntlet. That left the computer and failing that a check of the file cabinets. He turned the computer on, it was the latest in computer technology and started up quickly. He was almost immediately confronted with a password screen, he grinned he had come prepared for this too. Plugging a small device into the computer he set his own personal code breaking program to work, it didn't take long to break it. One look at the subject matter on the book shelves behind the desk told Don what the password was likely to be. James Kingly appeared to have been knighted once in his life and was absolutely obsessed with knights..and the King Arthur legend. He unhooked his device and tapped in Lancelot. It worked.

Shaking his head and grinning Don went to work searching the computer's files and soon his grin got even bigger when he hit the jackpot…everything he had ever wanted to know about the gauntlet including known weaknesses discovered in field testing.

Its main weakness was electricity.

He had also been correct in his analysis of the gauntlet's energy signature and how it fed off of its wearer. It used its wearer's physical and mental energy, increasing strength, durability, agility, thought processes, everything. Much like a drug it gave its wearer a euphoric feeling, making him feel invincible, like a living God. What the wearer would not realize is that the longer the gauntlet and the suit was worn the more he'd become addicted to it, he would also feel a need to increase his food intake to make up for the body's loss of energy, the suit would push everything in the wearer's body to its limit taking everything they had until their body finally just gave up. The company seemed to have already lost two test subjects to heart failure. Kingsly seemed intent on reproducing and manufacturing the gauntlet despite what it did to those who wore it.

If he succeeded he could create and army of gauntleted soldiers, and even though the first wave of wearers would eventually die they could create a lot of damage before they went.. and there were always more warm bodies available. The gauntlet seemed to be able to draw extra energy from its surroundings if needed..hence the de-powered super heros. The gauntlet had probably drawn out their super powered energy. It was possible that their powers would return with time, but Don could not be sure. It was too late to worry about it now.

He plugged his device back into the computer and downloaded every file he could find on the Gauntlet. He finished downloading everything, turned the computer off. He left the room closing the door behind him and began walking towards the stairs.

"Find what you were looking for?" Don whirled to find a human man walking towards him from the darkness gun in hand. Don recognized the man's voice instantly..it was Starling. The human was actually rather short for a human male, not much taller than Don. His face was not handsome, but could be considered rugged if one was inclined to be generous, his nose looked like it had been broken at some point. Don couldn't see the man's eyes but his hair was jet black he had a closely trimmed mustache and goatee also black. He was wearing a black suit and a blood red tie.

Don went into a crouch. He said nothing, and watched Starling carefully.

"Funny to see another masked weirdo break into our offices, when our most precious possession has already been stolen. Did you clean out the safe? There wasn't a lot of money in there anymore you know, I already took most of it"

Don scoffed. "I have no need of something as mundane as money."

A busy black eyebrow rose. "Oh then what else would a man that dresses up in a turtle costume and breaks into buildings want?"

Don grinned. "Do you expect me to just tell you, do you think I'm some sort of bad sci-fi movie villain?"

"Well I am the one with the gun." Starling said with a one shouldered shrug.

"If I wanted to, I could kill you before you could even pull the trigger." Don said menacingly stepping forward.

Starling squinted his eyes at Don. "Wait a minute, you're that Dark Turtle character aren't you. The one that's been on the news."

"Congratulations, you have astonishingly managed to state the obvious..and after having seen me for what 5 minutes now?" Don said sarcastically.

"Oh you're one of those characters aren't you, lots of bravado, no discernable fighting skill, mouths bigger than their brains, suicidal tendencies?" Starling rolled his eyes.

"No that's my brother. I'm the one with lots of bravado, Ninjitsu training, and an above Einstein level IQ. "

"And apparently not a lot of modesty." Starling grinned

"Modesty is out of fashion this season."

"As are Batman impersonations, I hate to say this but his last film was garbage."

"As is your suit, tell me is the Phantom of the Opera your tailor or did wake up this morning with the urge to dress like a mortician?"

Starling looked down at his suit. "I beg your pardon this is a thousand dollar suit."

"So you actually threw money in the garbage voluntarily?"

"Oh you're an amusing one. Look, I'll make you a deal, you tell me what you are actually here for and I promise I won't shoot you anywhere painful." He pointed the gun at Don's head. "Or permanent."

"I think you have trouble hearing, you wouldn't get a chance to pull the trigger. I got what I came for, and now I'm leaving. I have a metal plated Foot to stop."

Starling's eyes widened. "You're after him too? Why?"

"He has to be stopped."

"And you think you're going to do it, a delusional man in a turtle costume, dressed up as a batman look-alike? You'll be killed."

"No your Mercenaries are going to be killed…" Don moved like black lightening; suddenly he was in front of Starling grabbing the gun and wrenching it away from him..tossing it over the rail. He grabbed Starling by his suit jacket and held him up in the air slightly. "And this is not a turtle costume." He growled.

Starling stared down at him in wide eyed amazement.

"But how!" he gasped.

"I told you I am Ninja, and I am The Dark Turtle." Don tossed Starling backwards. The human landed on his back on the ground but immediately jumped to his feet. Don activated his anti-grav boots and flew up into the air. "I will stop your monstrosity and I will destroy it before it has a chance to destroy my city!" he said pointing down at Starling.

"You can't destroy it, you don't know how much it's worth!" Starling said in desperation.

"And I don't care either." Don shook his head and he flew across the factory to the door where he landed and simply opened it.

"If you destroy that gauntlet I will make you pay Dark Turtle!" Starling called across the factory shaking a fist in the air.

"Now you're getting cliché." Don shook his head and walked out the door. It had been fun, but it was time to get back work. He activated his boots, took to the air and flew to the Battle Shell where he sat down to go through every bit of information on the Gauntlet. He already the perfect plan forming in his mind, all he needed to do now was create a device that would allow him to deliver the right amount of electricity to the right spot on the gauntlet's armor…and he could put a stop to that city wrecking Foot once and for all.

Don looked up at the screens and frowned, but that would be later. Now if he was going to fight the foot he was first going to have to find him. He would have to set up a device that tracked the suit's energy signature, but he couldn't just fight the metal plated menace anywhere. He had to get the villain to a suitable place, and before he could even do that he would have to find a suitable place. He scanned through his schematics of the city randomly searching for something that might do, a large building, preferably with no people living in it or around it…then something caught his eye. A large factory was being built on a large plot of ground near the outskirts of the city near the bay. There weren't any buildings too close to it, on three sides and on the other side was nothing but water. It seemed ideal. He nodded to himself in satisfaction, he now had a location, all he needed was to find the Foot. He gathered some parts together and smiling to himself went to work.


	12. Converging

On top of a building across the street from where the Battle Shell sat Leo, Raph, Mike and Splinter stood on top of a building and watched.

"Did you plant that tracking device?" Leo asked Raph.

Raph nodded. "He ain't gonna dissappear on us now."

"Shouldn't we do something?" Mike asked staring down at the Battle Shell.

"No, we're just going to wait and see what he's going to do next. If we confront him now we could just make things worse."Leo said.

Raph snorted. "Look around Leo, things are already way beyond worse here."

Leo shook his head, " No Raph, things aren't worse..at least not yet. We wait until he leaves and then we follow him. If he tries to confront that Foot then we'll be there."

"To help him or to stop him?" Mike asked.

"To help him Mike, somebody has to stop that Foot and he's probably already come up with a way to do it. We just need to keep him from getting himself killed."

"We must be careful tonight my sons, much is at stake and our enemy is strong. Prepare yourselves but do not get over confident." Splinter said.

"Overconfident? I'm having trouble even getting confident. You didn't get pounded into the ground by that guy Sensei he's bad news wrapped up in a shiny metal coating." Mike sighed.

"You get pounded into the ground all the time Mike, shouldn't you be used to it by now?" Raph said with a roll of his eyes.

"Ha, ha, very funny. I wasn't the one who got his shell kicked by Don."

Raph frowned. "I did not get my shell kicked."

"Oh yeah, well it sure looked like it to me when you were flying through the air and slamming against the wall." Mike grinned.

" Just a lucky shot." Raph said with an angry glare. "How about I show you what it's like to really get your shell kicked." He advanced on Mike.

Splinter's walking stick shot out into the air between the red masked turtle and Mike. Then Splinter hit them both on the head.

"Ow Sensei!" Mike said rubbing his head.

"Yeah ow!" Raph agreed his hand going to the now painful spot on the top of his head where Splinter's stick had landed.

" We do not have time for this! If you do not behave I will 'kick your shells' myself!" Splinter barked sternly.

"Guys." Leo said gesturing for them to come to the edge of the building. Still rubbing their heads Mike and Raph ran to the edge with Splinter following. The Battle Shell was pulling out of the alleyway and heading down the street towards the middle of the city. Leo pulled a device from his belt, on the small screen was a small map of the city and a dot moving across it. "We got him. Let's go."

* * *

Unbeknownst to the three mutant turtles, a human dressed completely in black and in a black mask had been perched on a fire escape at the back of the building, and had heard every word that they had said. When they three turtles left the figure in black carefully snuck back down the fire escape and leapt to the street below. Once there he slipped into the back of an alley and removed his mask to reveal the face of a handsome young blonde haired, blue eyed man. He quickly got out of his black suit and put on a pair of jogging pants, and a dark blue sweater, completing the ensemble with a pair of sneakers. He put his black suit in a sport bag he slung it around his shoulder and casually walked out onto the street. Now looking like an every day college student on his way back from the gym he nimbly jogged three blocks away and slipped into an apartment building, careful to make sure he hadn't been seen. Ignoring the elevator he climbed four flights to the fourth floor where he stuck a key into a door and looking around to make sure no one else was in the hall slipped inside.

He closed and locked the door behind him tossing his gym bag in the corner and walking into the room.

" You're late Jin." Came a voice from the darkness around them. From the faint light of the window at the other end of the living room another man could be seen leaning against the window frame and staring out into the night.

"Don't get your underwear in a bunch Wick, I stopped to listen to a very interesting conversation." The blonde haired man grinned walking into the kitchen and grabbing a beer came back into the living room and plopped onto the couch.

The man by the window turned, his eyes glowing a greenish light.

"What could be more important than getting me what I need?"

"How about finding out that the turtle we supposedly killed is alive and well and running around the city masquerading as a super hero…and that he's now planning on tracking you down." Jin said taking a large gulp of his beer and raising a blonde eyebrow at his friend.

The man at the window stepped forward and the shadows parted to reveal a man of half Asian half Caucasian origin, with short cropped black hair. He was dressed in the uniform of a Foot Soldier minus the mask- and on his right hand was a shiny metal gauntlet.

"How do you know this?" Wick the metal gauntleted foot asked frowning.

"I was on my way back here from stirring up those gangs like Master Shredder wanted; I was walking down the street when I happened to look up and caught sight of three of those freaks on a rooftop. I was sure we'd killed one of them, so I decided to have a little listen and see what was going on. Turns out we didn't kill him, and he's running around the city. Geeze Wick, how hard can it be to kill one stupid mutant turtle." The blonde haired Foot frowned, an angry look growing on his face and took another gulp of his beer.

Wick clenched his jaw. " I suggest you ask Master Shredder that Jin."

Jin almost choked on his beer, spewing a spray of it all over the floor and the TV. He wiped his mouth and looked up at his friend with wide eyes as if just realizing what he meant.

" Shit, what if he finds out? He's gonna kill us now for sure!"

Wick frowned and leaned his gauntleted arm against the wall, for a second he looked down as if thinking and then idly glanced at his metal bound arm- then he smiled.

" Not if he can't find us." Wick said turning to look at his friend.

Jin looked puzzled, "But he'll call us, and if we don't show up he'll send the others after us…or he'll come after us himself."

Wick shook his head and held up his arm. " We've got something here that's much more powerful than the Shredder. With this we don't have to bow to that egotistical maniac any longer, we can do whatever we want, whenever."

Jin looked unsure. " I don't know Wick.."

"Trust me my brother, if Shredder comes to find us we will be ready for him and I will make him pay for all of the pain and humiliation we have suffered at his hands. I will make him pay dearly." Wick said grinning and clenching his gauntleted fist.

"And what about the plan?" Jin asked still not looking too convinced.

" We will continue to follow Shredder's plan, but we will alter it to fit out own." Wick said shrugging.

"If we mess up Shredder's going to kill us, very, very, painfully." Jin said frowning.

"Then we'll have to make sure we don't mess up. Think about it Jin, we failed to kill that turtle. If we go back to Shredder we're as good as dead men. We don't really have any choice." Wick said.

Jin looked bleak at that prospect and finally after some more thought and another swig of beer he sighed " Dead if we do, dead if we don't." he looked up at his friend who was in turn looking down at him with raised eye-brows. " What about that turtle, what are we going to do about him?"

Wick's smile turned very nasty. " If the turtle is so intent on finding me, then I think we should make sure he does find me. And this time I'll make sure he stays dead."

Jin finished his can of beer and crunched it in his fist, wiping his mouth of with the back of his hand. He tossed the can up into the air and caught it several times, a thoughtful expression on his face. Finally he looked back up at his brother. "Let's do it." He said shrugging.

"Very soon." Wick said, he came to the couch and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Only now I must regain my strength, did you get what I asked."

Jin nodded and grabbed his sports bag from the corner and pulled out a large McDonald's bag.

"Three big Macs, three super size fries and one very large Coke. I swear Wick I don't know how you can eat all of that stuff at one time."

"I need energy my brother and this is the fastest way to get it." Wick opened one hamburger and began eating it like a hunger crazed mad man. He took the bag to the kitchen leaving his brother to watch him with concern and a slight measure of disgust.

"Yeah, I noticed that. Since you put that thing on you're always hungry. Dontcha think that's strange?"

Wick didn't answer he was to intent on his food.

"I think it's really fuckin strange." Jin said in a whisper.

* * *

Oroku Saki, sans Shredder armor growled and kicked a nearby tray that held a bowl full of incense, scattering the burning sticks all over the floor. Luckily most everything in his tower was made of stone and there was nothing in the area to catch fire, not that he would have noticed in his anger if it had.

"How difficult can it be to kill one mutant turtle!" he said whirling angrily on Hun who had just showed him the news broadcast showing the Dark Turtle. A reporter had managed to catch a few words from the costumed turtle and were now were deep in discussion over him, wondering if he had any connection to Turtle Titan.

Saki had taken one look at the DT on the costumed hero's chest, heard the turtle's voice and had flown into a rage.

"How do you know it is that turtle, there's still three more, it could be one of them." Hun shrugged.

Saki stalked back towards Hun his fists clenching. "I make it my business to know my enemies Hun. It was reported to me that the turtle called Donatello, the- intelligent one- had been killed by two of my foot soldiers. Now I see a turtle masquerading as a hero, with the letters D and T on the front of his suit, who sounds almost exactly like the turtle called Donatello and is very, very intelligent. This is not a coincidence."

Hun frowned. " So those two little weasels Wicked and Jingo lied to us."

"Indeed, and they shall pay for their treachery with their lives."

" But we haven't heard from them in days, they could be anywhere in the city." Hun said.

"Then send out my Foot and have them scour the city from top to bottom. I want those two here by tomorrow night."

Hun bowed. " Yes Master, I shall conduct the search for them myself." He turned to leave and then turned back looking crafty. "And the turtle master?" Shredder's eyes narrowed. " I will take care of him myself." Hun grinned nastily, bowed again and left.


	13. The Battle

Don flew through the city as fast as he could with the metal plated Foot hot on his heels.

The masked turtle had managed to track and find the Metal Foot as the villain was breaking open an all night grocery store and trying to make away with a few bottles of Gatorade, some energy shakes, and a whole box of candy bars. It hadn't taken Don long to goad the Foot into following him and now he was finding out just how fast the metal suit could move. He wasn't afraid, and he had confidence in his gadgets and his own abilities but he was still happy to see the sight of the bay rising up before him and even happier to see the building he had designated as his fighting arena. It was still being built but it did have four walls and a roof which was more than wide enough to give Don plenty of room to maneuver. It occurred to him that Foot might realize he was being lead into a trap but the metal plated villain didn't seem to care too much. He looked quite eager to punch Don's teeth through the other side of his head and do horrible things to the rest of his body. Don of course had a few surprises up his suited sleeve and wasn't about to let himself be taken down easily.

He landed on the roof of the building ran to a suitable distance and then turned falling into a defensive crouch; just in time for the metal foot to land on the rooftop in front of him..while his friend the non-suited Foot leapt onto the roof from the street. Don grinned, two against one.

He liked the odds.

The metal suited foot advanced slowly clenching and un-clenching his fists in an open sign of aggression. "He thinks he's luring me into a trap Jin." The metal suited foot said to his normal friend.

"And here we thought he was the smart turtle Wick." Said the normal Foot Jin in a voice that oozed derision.

"I guess we thought wrong." Wick the metal Foot said still advancing menacingly on Don.

Don knew they were trying to intimidate him, but Don wasn't easily intimidated. He gave a one sided smile. "You two have been thinking? And here I was sure you didn't even have enough brain matter to tell you left hand from your right."

"Oh and he's funny too, you are one multi-talented turtle." Jin said sarcastically.

" You have no idea." Don said.

"Oh I think I do. Let's see just how talented you are, can you for instance avoid this?"

Wick became a blur, Don barely had time to leap aside before Wick's fist went through the space where he had just been. Wick swooped back around towards Don, the masked turtle waited until Wick was close enough and then he simply let himself fall to the ground. Wick went over Don and came to a rest back where he had started.

Don popped back to his feet and crossed his arms across his plastron. "I thought you were going to present me with a challenge. I came here for a fight, not a ballet lesson." He said looking smug.

Wick grinned. "I have a lesson to teach you, but it isn't ballet." He struck a pose, Don followed suit.

Then…

"Talk, talk, talk, when are we gonna stop yappin and get down ta fightin?"

Don looked up to see his three brothers and Splinter leap through the air and land in front of him. His eyes widened in surprise and he rushed forward grasping Leonardo by the shoulder and turning him around.

"What are you doing! Get the hell out of here!"

"Don.." Leo started.

"Well, well, well..if it isn't the three turtles I introduced to the bottom of my foot the last time we met. What's the matter Dark Turtle, can't you fight me alone?" Wick floated forward arms crossed across his chest.

"They aren't staying." Don said between gritted teeth looking over to Leo.

"Like hell we aren't." Raph growled drawing his Sai.

"I told you to let me do this alone, I can't finish this if I have to contsantly worry about your safety. I can't believe you brought Sensei here and put him in danger like this!" Don said, for a second Leo could see his brother's ever present mask of arrogance drop for the first time..and he saw the fear in his brother's eyes.

"Sensei came because he was worried about you! You aren't facing this guy alone Don, so don't even waste your breath protesting." Leo said shaking his head stubbornly.

Don let out a frustrated sigh

"Let me guess Leonardo, all for one and one for all. Oh how romantic. I bet you just love that Three Musketeers movie." Wick snorted.

"Actually I prefer the book." Leo snarled.

"Look at it this way Wick, four for the price of one." Jin said cocking his head to the side.

"Yess..four deaths for the price of the Dark Turtle's demise..I think I'll kill the rest first Dark Turtle. Just to make it interesting. I'll make you watch as I snap their necks one by one, as I murder your entire family..and then I'll kill you in the most painful way I can imagine." Wick hissed.

"And he can imagine a lot, he loves horror movies." Jin chimed in.

"Would you shut up?" Raph snapped at Jin.

"Am I getting on your nerves? I thought you four loved that snappy banter." Jin said chuckling.

"Only when we're the ones doing the bantering." Mike said. "And you're so unfunny it's sad."

Jin lost his jovial attitude. "Oh am I?" he asked in a frosty tone.

Mike grinned, he'd hit a nerve. " I'd say you were just as bad at comedy as William Shatner is at singing. And that's bad."

Jin growled and lunged at Mike. Mike leapt over him landed behind him, tapped him on the shoulder and decked him across the face when he turned. "About time, I was beginning think we just stand around trading one liners all day." Mike grinned as Jin staggered backwards.

"Michalangelo, do not get overconfident!" Splinter barked.

Leo, Raph and Don exchanged glances. Wick floated serenely in mid air and watched them.

Raph nodded to Wick and said. "Let's take this guy."

All three nodded in unison and rushed forward..and were forced to skid to a halt as multitudes of men in black body armor, carrying large strange looking weapons landed on the rooftops.

"What is this?" Wick said in anger.

"Damn it, The Mercenaries!" Don said in a growl.

The men spread out across the roof forming a barrier between the turtles and Wick. One half turned to face Wick the other half turned to face the turtles.

"You knew they were coming?" Leo asked as he Don, and Raph backed slowly backed away.

"I knew they were after the Foot but I didn't think they'd actually find him." Don said looking around quickly as the Mercenaries formed a circle around them.

"Where the heck did these guys come from?" Raph asked in annoyance.

"The guys who made gauntlet hired them. Look out for those guns they fire electric bolts."Don said taking some throwing stars from his belt and tossed them. They hit three of the guns which exploded in their carrier's faces. The rest swarmed in and soon both the turtles and the villainous Foot were fighting hordes of men in black body armor. It was all the turtles could do to dodge the electric bolts, but the metal clad Foot ploughed through the mercenaries with ease, dodging the waves of electricity they shot at him with their guns, leaping effortlessly over each volley as if they were moving in slow motion. He made his way to the center of the mercenaries and he let out a laugh.

As the turtles watched the he held his hand in the air and clenched his fist. A loud humming sound filled the air that make their skins crawl and the gauntlet began to pulse with a green light that was slowly growing brighter and brighter. The mercenaries watched, mesmerized, as the evil Foot brought his arm down and slammed it into the rooftop in front of him. The resulting shockwave took most of the Mercenaries from their feet, their electric guns flying from their hands- only a precious few got back up again. In the sparse light of the moon above them, Leo could make out the still forms of the other Mercenaries lying on the ground, he could just make out the dark liquid spreading around their bodies telling Leo that they were very, very dead. The blue masked turtle turned his head squeezing his eyes shut in disgust.

"The shock wave must have damaged their internal organs, possibly their brains as well." Dark Don said from beside Leo. Leonardo turned his head to see his brother's mouth turned up in a grimace, Don turned to look at Leo in turn and set his jaw.

"It is imperative we don't let him use that attack again, and especially on us."

"Uh guys, he doesn't have to..he's just found a new toy!" Mike said pointing to the metal foot. The metal plated menace was grinning evilly as he bent down and picked up one of the fallen Mercenary's electric weapons. Then movement beside them and the four turtles turned to see the normal Foot walking towards them, another electric gun in hand.

He'd lost his mask in battle and they could see his blonde hair, boyish good looks and the equally nasty smile on his face.

"I don't know about you Wick but I'm feeling like fried turtle tonight." He said to his metal plated friend.

"With a side of fried rat." Wick the metal mutant laughed turning his gun to target Splinter.

Leonardo moved to stand in front of Splinter crossed his swords in front of his own body, his eyes narrowing. "You try it and I'll cut you in half."

Wick laughed derisively " You think you can hurt me turtle freak? I am invincible, I am all mighty, I am a living God!" He cackled holding his arms up in the air.

Don crossed his arms across his plastron, and snorted. "Please, without that metal suit you'd be nothing. You rampage, steal, destroy and murder and you call yourself a god when you are nothing more than an insignificant flea, a flea with delusions of grandeur and an IQ on the level with something that has been run over on a rural highway."

If Don had been trying to piss the metal foot off he succeeded wonderfully

" WHAT!" bellowed the foot in fury his fists clenching.

"Are you deaf as well as stupid? I said you are nothing, you are less than nothing, nothing multiplied by nothing. An imbecilic, violent, egotistical, moron, so weak, so powerless so…impotent that he wears a metal suit to try and make everyone else believe that he everything that he's not. You are laughable, you aren't even worth wasting our time on." Don continued in a delusitory tone.

By now the metal foot was so furious he couldn't even form a complete sentence, and finally he began to growl.

"Uh oh, you're in for it now turtle." The blonde haired foot said looking at his friend with wide eyes.

"Donnie what the hell are you doin!" Raph asked grabbing his brother's arm. "Purposuely tryin' ta piss him off?"

Dark Don shook off Raph's grasp and turned towards his brothers. " That's exactly what I'm doing, take Sensei and get out of here all of you."

"No Donatello we aren't leaving you alone." Leo said shaking his head.

"None of you stand a chance against him, he is too powerful." Don insisted his voice taking on a tone that almost resembled urgence..or panic.

"And like you can do any better Donnie? I don't think a few gadgets are going to get the job done this time. You saw what this guy can do." Mike said gesturing to the still forms of the dead mercenaries.

"I have a plan to stop him but it involves you four not being here, you'll only be in danger and I.." Dark Don's words were cut off when the Metal Foot suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed him by the neck yanking him backwards and tossing him across the roof. Where he landed in a heap.

" Donnie!!" His brothers cried in unison.

Don dragged himself to his hands and knees and looked up at his brothers pleadingly as the now insanely pissed Foot approached him.

"Please..just get…out..of..here!" He got out before the metal maniac reached down, wrapped his metal gauntleted hand around Don's throat, picked him up again and held him into the air.

"I…am going to ..hurt you.. badly." The evil Foot said in a slow dangerous voice. He drew Don back towards him and looked at him eye to eye. "I'm going to kill you like I did those mercenaries but this time you're going to be right in the middle of my fist when it hits the ground, and I'm going to rip open your shell, and have your heart for lunch." He growled between gritted teeth.

Then he was knocked forwards by the motion of three turtles hitting him at full speed. They grabbed a hold of his arms wrenching him backwards, trying to force him to drop Don who was starting to gasp from lack of air.

"Is this part of your big brilliant plan braniac?" Raph asked trying to yank the Foot's head backwards.

"I'm….working on..it" Don gasped out, he reached into one of the numerous pockets on his belt and began searching for something.

"Insignificant knats!" Growled the metal foot whirling in place, the sudden motion shaking Leo and Mike from his shoulders. The foot grabbed a hold of Raph with his free hand and tossed him across the roof almost to the edge. He slammed Don to the ground and put his foot on the masked turtle's plastron keeping him in place.

He held up his gauntleted hand and pointed it at Raph just as the red masked turtle got to his feet. "Can you fly turtle?" The villain asked…and shot a bolt of green energy at Raphael. The red masked turtle got out an "Oh shit." Before he was knocked off of his feet and over the edge of the building.

"Raph!" Leo bellowed dashing for the edge of the building. When he raced the edge he dove off, and disappeared from sight.

"Raphael, Leonardo!" Splinter called and ran for the edge of the building only to be intercepted by Jin.

"You should have stayed out of this fight old rat, I'm going to enjoy kicking your tail."

He tried to kick the elderly rat but Splinter ducked out of the way, came around behind him and kicked him squarely in the bottom sending him stumbling forward.

"If you think I am weak because I am old, think again." Splinter advised going into a defensive stance holding his walking stick up in front of him.

"I'm going to make you glow like a Christmas tree!" The blonde foot said getting up and angrily pointing his electric gun at Splinter. Mike landed on his shoulders knocking him flat on his face knocking the gun from his hands. " Didn't your mother ever teach you to respect your elders, or did you kill her too?" Mike quipped shaking a finger at the now unconscious Foot underneath him.

"Jin!" Yelled the Metal Foot turning his head back towards Mike and Splinter.

Dark Don took advantage of the metal foot's distraction and withdrew a small metal device from his belt, slapping it against the side of the foot's metal plated leg. Immediately the device began to produce a small electrical current which coursed across the foot's metal covered leg causing him to howl and jump away slapping at his leg trying to get the device off.

Don rolled away and ran for his remaining brother and his Sensei who were in turn running towards him.

"No the other way!" Don yelled. Too late the metal foot had gotten the device off and now had an electric gun and his own gauntlet pointed at Mike and Splinter.

"MUTANTS!" he howled and shot both weapons.

Mike and Splinter threw their arms up in front of their faces, both knowing they would never get out of the way of the shots in time. Then they heard Don yell.

"Mike, Sensei…get!!" And they look up in time to see the masked turtle leap into the air in front of them tossing himself directly into the path of both the electric bolt and the green energy bolt. They hit him with a blast of light so bright that rat and turtle had to shield their eyes for a second, when they could see again Don lay unconscious on the ground in front a few feet behind them the sparkle of electricity shooting off his body before fading away completely.

"Donnie!" Mike ran to his brother and was about to kneel down beside him when the metal foot suddenly appeared in front of him. Mike looked up just as the villain delivered a swift kick to the orange masked turtle's plastron tossing him backwards and into Splinter.

The villain then picked up Donatello and held him up in the air above his head, ready to slam him into the ground. " Very touching, makes me want to break out the violins and everything." The foot snorted sarcastically. " But I had my mind set on roasted heart of turtle and I don't feel like changing my dinner plans."

His gauntlet began to hum again and the green light began to pulse.

From underneath a dazed Mike, Splinter looked up to see his unconscious son enveloped in a green halo of light and his heart went cold, for he was sure at that moment that his son was going to die. He held out his arms reaching for his son and he cried. " Noooo!"

Then two forms collided with the foot in unison, Leo hitting him at the back of his knees Raph in his back; knocking Don from the evil maniac's grasp. Raphael's voice growled. " How about you order takeout instead chump."

The Foot flew forward under their combined assault and landed face first a few feet away. He was back on his feet quickly and turned to find Leonardo, and Raphael standing in a protective stance over the unconscious form of Donatello, with Splinter and Mike kneeling beside him.

The evil soldier howled in frustration. "What does it take to kill you freaks!"

"We're not about to be taken out so easily especially by the likes of you." Leo growled back.

" Arrgggh DIE." The foot yelled charging Leo and Raph, he tried to hit them but they nimbly leapt out of the way and his fists simply buried themselves in the concrete of the roof underneath their feet. Screaming incoherently he ripped his fists out of the concrete and turning began to chase the nearest turtle, so angry he didn't even think to use his suit's special powers. Raph and Leo lead the foot on a not so merry chase across the roof, and each time the foot tried to smash them only to have his fists smash into part of the building instead. Raph caught the villain's attention and Leo tripped him up causing him to fall to the concrete again. They both ran back to where Splinter, Mike and the unconscious Donatello was.

"How's Don?" Leo asked panting slightly.

"He has received an enormous shock to his system, he is unconscious I fear he may go into a coma as he did before." Splinter said his face painted with concern.

" He saved my life again..I can't believe he did it again!" Mike clenched his fists in frustration.

Raph went to speak but was interrupted by a loud creaking sound and the ground underneath them slowly began to slip downwards. The turtles and Splinter looked around in panic.

"Uh, should the roof be going down like that?" Mike asked.

"No it shouldn't, the roof's collapsing, it can't handle the strain of all this fighting, we have to.." Leo started. Then a shadow appeared over them, and they all looked up to see the metal foot hovering in the air above them blocking out the light of the moon.

He gave a single grin and raising his gauntleted arm shot a single energy bolt which hit the ground a few inches in front of them.

Silence reigned for a second and then the loud creak filled the air which was replaced by a deep rumble which shook the building.

Mike looked down and then at his brothers. " This is gonna hurt." He said….

And then the roof collapsed underneath them pulling them down and covering them in rubble.

* * *

In the air above the large hole that had been the roof of the building the evil metal foot looked down at the ruble below and he laughed. He picked up his brother, and flew off into the night. 


	14. Escape

For a time there was silence, dust and little rocks still fell from above like rain. Then it stopped. Eventually coughing could be heard.

"Raph…Mike..S…Sensei?" Leonardo pulled himself from under a pillar and coughed loudly trying to rub the dust from his eyes, with an equally dusty hand. He coughed again and stumbled around searching.

"Raphael, Michalangelo, Sensei!" Leo called again.

There was another groan and Leo quickly turned towards the sound. " Raphael?"

Another groan again, and Leo moved towards the sound. Not far away he found his red masked brother trapped under a small pile of rubble, one of his arms and his head was free but the rest was trapped under concrete.

"Leo?" Raph asked blinking up at his brother.

"Hang on Raph I'm going to get you out of there." Leo began to move the pieces of concrete aside until he finally managed to get Raph free. Leo helped his brother to his feet, letting Raph lean on him so he wouldn't fall.

"Are you okay?" Leo asked looking concerned.

Raph clutched his left arm to his plastron and grimaced. " Think my arm's busted, hurts like hell."

Leo frowned worriedly. " Try not to move it until we can find something to bind it."

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry Leo I'm fine. Where are Mike, Donnie and Sensei?" Raph said waving off his brother's concern.

" I don't know I just now found you, I want you stay right here and rest while I go look for them.."

Raph gave his brother a glare. "Not a chance Leo, so don't even think about it."

"But Raph.."Leo started his frown deepening.

"Stuff it Leo I'm helping ya search, got it?"

Leo sighed and gave up. "All right but take it easy with your arm."

"Fine, fine, lets stop yakin and start searchin." Raph stepped past his brother and

began to walk the length of the room crawling over rubble and calling out his brother's names.

"Mikey, hey Mikey where are ya!"

"Sensei, Donnie, Sensei!"

Raph finally heard a weak voice calling and followed it to a large pile of rubble and girders at the back of the building. "Hey Leo, I hear somethin' over here!"

Leo hurried over to Raph's side and there could finally hear Mike's weak voice calling to them.

" Mikey! Sensei!" Leo called loudly pulling rubble aside. Raph chipped in with his free arm, but soon had to stop because the pieces soon grew too large for him to handle with one hand.

They heard Mike's voice again and as Leo dug it became clearer. He was coughing heavily. " Leo, Raph.." He called between coughs.

" Mikey we're here! Are you okay?" Leo called trying to dig faster.

" Yeah, Leo, Sensei's got a hurt let and my head hurts something awful but we're okay." Mike said.

" What about Donnie, is Donnie there?" Raph called in a voice full of worry.

"He's stuck, I..I can't get him out." Mike returned.

Leo pulled as hard as he could at a large chunk of concrete and finally with a loud groan it fell away rolling a short way down the pile to hit the ground with a thunk. In its place was now a large hole, big enough for a turtle to crawl through.

Leo crawled up to the hole to stick his head in and Raph scrambled up to do the same. They could see that the girders had miraculously formed a cave like area above Mike, Splinter and Don protecting them from the heaviest of the rubble. Some had gotten through however and virtually buried the unconscious Dark Turtle. Mike and Splinter were knelt beside him trying to get everything off of him. There was a dark spot on Mike's head a blood was running down the side of his face, Splinter's leg was also bleeding but he didn't seem to notice it, his concentration was on Don.

"Hold on I'm coming in there to help you." Leo said clamoring in the hole.

Mike looked up as his older brother slipped through and landed face first on the ground, he wiped the blood away from his face with a hand and gave Leo a weak smile.

"Looks like somebody up there's looking out for us."

"I don't know about that but you guys are certainly lucky to be alive." Leo knelt beside his father and placed a hand on the elderly rat's shoulder.

"Are you okay Sensei?"

Splinter looked up, and nodded. " I am fine my son, my leg is not broken."

"I'll help you get Don free and we can all get out of here, Mike I want you to help Sensei through the hole and crawl through, then I need you to be ready to take Don when I pass him through. Raph's hurt his arm, he won't be able to help."

Mike nodded, a slightly dazed look on his face. He, Leo and Splinter together managed to get Dark Turtle/Don free, and they examined him for injuries. Happily his suit seemed to have protected him from the impact of the rubble. Directed by Leo, Mike first helped Splinter through and then he and Leo carefully got Don through. Leo clamored out last and together they all carried their unconscious brother down the pile to the ground where they laid him flat.

There they collapsed to the ground in unison, panting with exhaustion. For a time no one said a thing; they were injured, dazed and amazed at the fact that they were all still alive. Only Leo had escaped injury, and after a few moments rest he was compelled to get back up and begin searching for a way out. While the blue masked turtle searched, Splinter used pieces of his ragged Kimono and Raph's own belt to bind Raph's arm and keep it in place. He did what he could to stanch the blood coming from Mike's head wound, and bound his own leg up using just about every inch of his Kimono.

"I can do no more now, we shall have to wait until we find a way out of here, then I will be able to treat your wounds properly." Splinter sighed settling down beside Donatello and placing his hands on his son's forehead.

"My son." He whispered to Don. "Come back to us, we have need of you."

Raph settled down cross legged next to Don and Mike followed suit.

" Seems like we're back where we were the first time Donnie got hurt. Waitin' and worryin. This day has turned out ta stuck the big one." Raph groused resting the elbow of his free arm on his leg and placing his palm under his chin.

" Think he's okay Sensei?" Mike asked fearfully.

" I do not know my son." Splinter said shaking his head. " I do not know."

" Man we gotta do something.. we can just sit here and let Donnie die while that stupid metal jerk flies around the city destroying everything." Mike punched the ground.

"Don't worry guys, I found a way out of here." Came Leo's voice from behind them.

He slid down from a pile of rubble and landed next to Mike. "My shell cell wasn't damaged, so I used it to call April. She and Casey will be meeting us outside."

Leo knelt and put a hand on Mike's shoulder. " We're going to get out of here."

Mike looked up hopefully and smiled.

"About time, this place feels like a friggin tomb." Raph said pulling himself shakily to his feet.

" Mike, you feel up to helping me carry Donnie out of here?" Leo asked his orange masked brother.

Mike nodded. " No problem Leo."

Leo turned to Raph. " Raph you help Sensei, there's some rough places along the way but if you're careful you should be okay. Just follow my lead."

Since he was the one with the most strength at the moment Leonardo grabbed Don's head and Mike took Don's feet. Slowly they made their way across the space of the building's rubble covered floor, crawling over piles of concrete, steel and stone, dodging under fallen girders; avoiding anything that looked unstable. As careful as they were though they couldn't avoid a few minor accidents; Raph and Splinter almost got caught in a rockslide of rubble and Leo got a nasty gash across the side of his face while trying to hoist Don's unconscious body over a series of fallen girders. Finally they made it to the wall, where a large crack had formed in the wall leaving them plenty of room to get out.

Leo looked up at the wall and frowned. " I think it's time we got out of here, this building doesn't look too stable anymore, it could completely collapse at any time."

"Yes we have been extremely fortuitous so far, let us not test our luck any further." Splinter agreed.

" I second that." Mike said with a grimace, and the way he was wincing it was obvious he had a bad headache.

Leo slowly backed out of the hole in the wall and stepped out onto the street, the others followed suit. Outside they could see it was still dark, but not for long the sun would be coming up soon..and they could hear the wail of police sirens in the distance.

"Damn, cops we need ta get out of here." Raph said ducking into the shadows after his brothers.

"April should be here…" Leo started looking around for their friend.

Sure enough April and Casey came running from a van across the street.

"Oh my god, guys are you all right!" April asked seeing her friend's injuries.

"We'll be okay, we just need somewhere were we can rest and Splinter can treat our injuries." Leo said bending and resting Don on the ground shell first, Mike followed suit but as soon as he got near the ground he lost his balance and plopped down on his bottom heavily.

"You okay bro?" Casey asked kneeling beside Mike.

"Everything's kinda spinning." Mike said dazedly putting a hand to his head.

Raph helped Splinter to kneel beside Mike, the elderly rat placed a hand on his son's head and looked into his eyes. "He is exhausted, he needs rest." He said with a sigh.

"Come on, we'll get you guys in the van and get you back to my apartment. You can rest there for as long as you like." April knelt beside Don and took his pulse.

"His pulse is really weak Leo, what happened up there?" She said looking up at Leonardo with fear in her eyes.

Leo looked upwards to the roof on where they had fought the metal foot, and lost.. then he looked back down at Donatello.

"It's a long story April, I'll tell you everything later." He said his face dark.

April nodded. "Come on then, let's get you into the van."

Casey helped Mike up and helped him cross the road to the van, Raph helped Splinter and though April offered to help Leo, the blue masked turtle insisted on carrying Donatello himself. When they reached the van Leo laid Don as gently as he could in the back and sat down beside him…where he laid his head back against the walls of the van..and almost instantly fell asleep out of exhaustion.

Raph and the others followed suit a few moments later.

From the front seat April and Casey looked back at their friends exchanged worried glances.


	15. Intermission

An hour later Leo, Mike, Raph and Splinter had taken showers and Splinter was using medical supplies April and Casey had bought at a local pharmacy to treat his son's wounds properly. Raph's arm wasn't broken, but to keep him from moving it any further and possibly breaking it for sure; Splinter wrapped it in tight bandages and put it in a sling.

Thankfully Mike did not have a concussion, but the wound was deep enough to require disinfection and stitches which didn't go over too well with Mike. He protested briefly but Splinter threatened to have Raph and Leo hold him down, and he finally gave in and let his father stitch the wound. Splinter wrapped his orange masked son's head in bandages and took care of Leo's minor face gash before Leo insisted that his Sensei see to his own wounds before doing anything else.

While Casey and Leo got Don out of his Dark Turtle costume and got him tucked under a blanket on the couch April helped Splinter treat his own leg wound and bandage it. April gave them all a hot cup of tea and insisted they rest, which they did gratefully. April and Casey hovered over them like two concerned parents, tucking them into warm pallets of blankets and pillows; then the two humans retreated to the kitchen, turning off the lights so the exhausted mutants could rest.

Soon almost everyone was asleep, leaving only Leo awake.

As tired as he was he was still unwilling to sleep; and he soon got up out of his pallet taking only a blanket with him to wrap around his shoulders. He went to the window and stood with his arms crossed across his plastron, watching the morning sun rising across the city. His eyes saw beauty of the colors sweeping across the skyline as the sun rose, but his mind never even registered that it was there. Every once in awhile he would turn and look to the couch where Donatello lay still and unmoving in the darkness of the living room.

Would they ever truly be a team again?

When Donatello woke, would he be their Donatello? Or would he be the Dark Turtle, the strange new personality they had all come to know and dislike?

And would he even wake again?

If even their Sensei, their father had no idea whether or not Donatello would live..did that mean that he would die? Would they be forced to live out the rest of their live without their beloved brother?

No, Leo shook his head, he couldn't think like that…he wouldn't. He would have faith that his brother would be all right, and he would accept that no matter who he was when he woke up..be he their beloved brother or his arrogant alter personality..he was still Donatello and he would at least be alive.

A shadow moved from the direction of the kitchen and April walked into the light cast by the window. She looked up at Leonardo, a soft smile on her face as if she had read his every thought. She placed a hand on Leo's shoulder.

"Don will be fine Leo. He made it through once, he can do it again. I have faith in him."

"I hope so April, I really hope so." Leonardo tried to smile but he couldn't work up enough energy to even do that.

"You're tired Leo, stop thinking and just go to sleep." April took Leonardo's arm and led him back to his pallet where she made him lay back down. As she tucked him in he reached out and put a hand on her shoulder warmly. " Thank you April, thank you."

April smiled and patted Leo's arm. " You don't have to thank me Leo, you guys are my family. I'd do anything for you, you know that."

" Thank you anyway." Leo said softly, his eyelids drooping shut in exhaustion. Finally he lost his battle with wakefulness and his eyes closed, his head dropped to the side and he fell to sleep.

April pulled the blanket up around his neck and tucked it in gently. She checked on Raph, Mike, and Splinter before finally going to the couch where Don lay still silent, and unmoving, barely breathing. She put a hand to his forehead checking for fever, and checked his pulse again. It seemed stronger now and she allowed herself a small smile of relief.

"Come back to us Don, we miss you." She whispered softly, and re-adjusting the blanket around his body she stood and returned to the kitchen.

"Are they gonna be okay?" Casey asked handing her a cup of coffee.

She sighed and sat down taking a sip.

"I don't know, Casey, I really don't know."

* * *

"Hey, Leo…Leooo…psst..hey bro, up an at um."

Raph's voice gradually broke through Leo's slumber. He opened his eyes to find his red masked brother kneeling above him.

"Wha.." Leo asked, still half asleep and slightly disoriented.

"It's dinner time bro, April ordered some pizza, didn't think you'd wanna miss that." Raph grinned jerking his head towards the kitchen.

Leo rubbed his eyes and looked at the clock on the wall. The hands told him it was six thirty and since Raph had just spoken about dinner Leo assumed it was six P.M.

Leo sat up, wide awake now. "Dinner? Did you guys let me sleep all day?"

" Relax bro, we all pretty much slept the whole day. You were dead to the world anyway so we just let ya sleep."

"Well I guess I do feel better..how is everyone..how's Donnie."

Raph's grin faded, he turned his head to look over at the couch where Donatello lay, still unconscious. Leo followed his gaze.

"Everybody's fine..Donnie's still..he's still out." Raph sounded angry as he said it, he turned back to Leo abruptly.

"Come on, let's get to the kitchen before Mike and Casey hog all the pizza."

Leo nodded and Raph helped his brother stand. They went to the kitchen to eat.

* * *

Jin watched in silence as his brother downed two whole pizzas, and a hamburger for good measure. Wick had his mask off and Jin could see his brother's face in the sparse light afforded by the living room. The skin of his face was gaunt, like he was the victim of some sort of famine. The kitchen in which he ate was dark, Wick had grown sensitive to light, he even refused to step into a room where the light was on.His skin was pale, his breathing was slow and labored and he had developed manic mood swings. One minute he was ecstatically joyful, the next dark and brooding, and then dangerously paranoid.

They had beaten their longtime enemies the turtles, something even the Shredder himself had repeatedly failed to do, yet Wick cared only for eating his next meal and longed only for the next moment he could activate the gauntlet and wear the metal suit.

Though the strongest drug Jin had ever taken was a couple of beers too many, (not for any noble reason of course; he just liked the effect his looks had on women and being a druggy wasn't exactly great way to get laid) he had nevertheless seen the effect addictive drugs could have on a man and he was seeing the exact same thing in his brother now. Jin couldn't stand by and watch his best friend and half- brother kill himself, Wick was all Jin had.

They had parents of course, it wasn't like they were alone in the world; both had been raised more by their nannies than their parents however, simply because their wealthy mother and father hadn't felt it nessisary to spend any time with their two sons. As a result neither brother had really cared for their mother and father and so had left home at an early age; they liked to joke that their parent's proably hadn't even noticed that they weren't there.

Wicked and Jingo (aka Walter and Jimmy Gibson) had become inseparable friends as well as half- brothers, they had joined the Foot together just a few months before. Jin felt he owed it to his older brother to look out for him which was why he decided that now was the time to speak up before things went too far.

He didn't realize that things had already gone too far and even though he had seen the effects addictive drugs could have on a person's mind he still never thought his brother would ever hurt him.

They were buds, they were brothers, an unstoppable duo.

He was wrong.

Jingo looked over at his brother. "Wick, I'm worried about you."

Wicked looked up from where he had been staring at the remains of his dinner, lost in his own mind. "What?"

"Wick that thing..I hate to say this..but it's killing you. Have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?"

Wick's eyes flashed. "No, it helps me, it gives me power unimaginable. I destroyed the turtles with this suit..it has made me even stronger than the Shredder himself."

"It's turning you into a corpse Wick, sure you've got some neat powers out of the deal but can't you see what's happening? You eat all the time now, you're always tired, you've got some really freaky exorcist mood swings, you look like a ghost of a ghost turned into a zombie..man I'm telling you…it's gonna kill you. You have to take it off."

As soon as he said it he knew he shouldn't have.

"And then what brother you'll take it? Is this some ploy to take it away from me? To take the power for yourself?" Wick hissed standing up slowly. One look in his eyes told Jin that his brother was in the middle of one of his paranoid moods.

"No way man you couldn't give me that thing. I just want you to take it off for a day or two until you can get your strength back.." Jin said shaking his head, acutely aware that his words fell on deaf ears.

"Yes a day or two where I would be helpless, then you would sneak up to me in my sleep and murder me..you would take it from me." Wick advanced on his brother.

Jin got up from his chair and began to back away. "No bro, I would never. Man I helped you! I've had your back this entire time!"

"Yes biding your time, waiting until I was weak..You can't have it..it's mine!" Madness swimming in his eyes Wicked launched himself at his brother. Immediatey the gauntlet activated and the metal suit slid over Wicked's body, flowing like liquid silver.

Now fully armored Wicked grasped his brother by the throat and held him up in the air.

"Betrayer! Thief! You will never have it!"

"Wick..noo." Gasped out Jin flailing desperately at his brother's gauntleted arm.

"It's mine." The green flashed once more in his eyes, and his gauntleted arm closed tighter around his brother's neck…there was a slight cracking sound of everything in Jin's neck being crushed and the soft sound of a man chocking to death.. then nothing.

A body fell to the floor with a thump…

Wicked went back to the table, sat down and went back to staring at his plate. He rocked back and forth slightly in place.

"It's mine." He whispered to himself.

* * *

Two hours later a howl of agony issued from the forth floor of the building, waking all the tenants and sending shivers of fear up their spines. The madness had passed, and now he realized exactly what he had done. 


	16. The Reawakening

The pizza was finished and everyone had adjourned to the living room to watch the evening news. The collapse of the building was the top story, along with the bodies of the mercenaries found in the rubble. Witnesses had seen a fight going on, atop the building but no one knew who had been fighting or why. Now the army had been called in and the metal foot was wading into the troops, and tanks with insane glee, using a giant tank as a batter ram to smash anything in sight.. all the while declaring himself a god.

"Man that guy has seriously lost it." Mike sighed from his position sitting cross legged in front of the TV.

"He does seem a lot less stable than before. I wonder if that suit has anything to do with it." Leo said critically from beside Mike.

"Maybe if he leaves it on long enough it'll fry his stupid brain out." Raph groused. He was sitting on the arm of the couch just beside Don.

"Yeah if we have to wait that long there won't be a city left." Mike snorted.

"It looks like we're going to have to get our strength together and go out after him again." Leo said with a heavy sigh.

"Are you nuts Leo? This is the second time we've gotten our butts kicked by that guy, and we ain't in no condition to go out there now. Why do we have to be the ones ta get our shells waxed all the time anyway."

"Because there is no one else Raph. Didn't you notice that most or all of the city's super heroes aren't super heroes anymore? We need a plan."

"Plan or no this guy's too tough, we gotta figure out some kinda weakness before we even think of goin back out there. If we just try and hit his armor it don't do no good. He got hit point blank by a rocket launcher and he didn't even blink!"

April was moving around behind them wiping Don's face with a washcloth. " From what you guys have told me it could be that the suit could be made of something that absorbs and feeds off of kinetic energy, so every time you hit it you only make the metal stronger. You say those mercenaries were armed with electric guns.. electricity might have an adverse effect on the suit's systems." She mused looking up at her friends.

"Uh, yeah, that." Raph said looking puzzled.

"Don knew what the suit's weakness was and I'm sure he had a plan..I just wish we knew what it was." Leo sighed.

There was a groan from the couch and April let out a gasp. "Donnie!"

Raph looked down to find Don's eyes open and blinking rapidly.

"April go get Sensei." Leo told her kneeling beside his brother.

"Right Leo." She nodded and quickly stood, running to the other room where Splinter was meditating.

Raph and Mike knelt next to Leo all three staring at their brother with amazement.

Don sat up on an elbow and put a hand to his head and then to their total amazment..spoke not in the dark growling tones of the Dark Turtle but in the perfectly normal tone of the perfectly normal Donatello. " Uh..where am I..I…" he turned his head to see his brothers smiling at him. "Oh, right."

Leo, Raph and Mike looked at one another. They gave a chorus of happy exclamations. Splinter hurried into the room, April and Casey following.

" Donnie is it really you...you?" Mike asked hopefully.

Don looked at everyone around and grinned apologetically. "Yeah Mikey, it's me."

Mike grabbed him and pulled him into a hug that almost squeezed the breath out of him.

"Oh Donnie we're so glad it's you and not that other guy.." he said in a jumble of ecstatic words.

" Uh, Mikey, buddy..can't breathe.." Don gasped out.

"Oh, right sorry Donnie." Mike grinned letting his brother go and looking a bit sheepish.

"Are you okay my son?" Splinter asked softly.

Don nodded. " Yeah, unless you can die from embarrassment, in which case I'm on the critical list."

"Don..do you..were you..?" Leo asked hesitantly not sure how to put his question.

Don moved to sit upright in the couch. "I..was here Leo..I don't remember a lot of it but I do remember being here in my mind while..that other personality took over."

He looked up at them his eyes wide. " I don't know where he came from, I..I'm not like that I don't think like that.."

Splinter put a hand on his son's shoulder. "We know my son."

"It was like me, who I am was sort of pushed to the back of my mind, I could see and hear what went on but I couldn't do anything. I know you guys must have hated me.." Don looked down sadly.

" Nah Donnie, we didn't hate you." Raph said softly putting a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder. " We're just glad you're okay now."

"What about that other guy..is he gone?" Casey asked.

" I..uh..I don't know. I can't feel him but I do have his memories.." Don sat upright as if just remembering something. " Oh no, that metal foot!" He went to stand but Splinter forced him back down.

" No my son, you must rest."

" But Sensei, he, I..we..I had a plan! This guy's going to keep getting stronger until nobody can beat him." Don objected.

" None of you are in any condition to fight another battle with the metal foot."

Don looked up at his brothers and finally noticed their injuries. " What happened to you guys..did something happen after I..uh..he got knocked out?"

"The uh, the roof collapsed underneath us." Leo said looking pained.

"Are you okay?" Don asked looking in alarm at Raph's arm, Mike's head and Splinter's bandaged leg.

" Just peachy Donnie. You were the one we were worried about." Raph said making a face.

" You should have left me behind and gotten out of there when my other personality told you to." Don said fiercely. " You could have been killed."

"If you think we'da done that, then you're really bonkers Donnie." Raph said tapping Don's forehead.

Don sighed.

" Look he had a plan and I remember what that plan was. It's simple and none of you have to get near that foot again, I'm the one that's going to be taking the risks."

"Do you think we're going to let you go out and face that guy alone? We just got you back Don we are not going to loose you again." Leo said sternly.

"I'm not as important as what's going to happen if that foot isn't stopped. Don't you understand he's growing in power. That shock wave attack of his was just the tip of the iceberg, soon he'll be so powerful that nothing will be able to stop him…not even electricity."

"So tell us the plan and we'll all do it." Raph shrugged.

"No, this requires intellect and stealth. Brute force won't work." Don shook his head. " But I do need someone to act as a distraction. I have to get behind the foot without him knowing that I'm there."

"Look Don you're not going out there alone and that's final. I know the foot has to be stopped, but Raph, Mike and Sensei are in no condition to fight." Leo said sternly.

Don started to protest again but Leo held up a hand. " I'll come with you. I didn't get hurt when the roof collapsed and I've been able to get enough rest to get my energy back."

"Are you sure Leonardo?" Splinter asked worriedly.

" I'm sure Sensei, I can't let Donnie go out there alone."

" But Don you're not in much of a condition to fight that Foot guy yourself." April objected frowning.

" I'm fine April, really. Besides I'm not going to be fighting him, I'm just going to sneak up behind him.." Don looked around puzzled. " Where did you guys put that goofy Dark Turtle suit?"

"Yep, he hates the suit now we know he's back to normal." Mike grinned.

" Stuck it in the closet." Casey jerked his head towards April's living room closet.

Don stood and went to the closet opening it up and searching through the suit that lay on the closet floor. He unattached the utility belt from around the suit's torso and stood turning back towards his brothers. From one of the pockets he took out a palm sized device and held it up with a triumphant grin.

"My other personality may have been a royal jerk but he was a genious..and he came up with this device to take out that robot foot." He walked forward towards his brothers, April, Casey and Splinter holding it out for them to see closely.

"This little device generates an extremely high electrical shock that's adjusted to the suit's wavelength. It needs to be attached to the suit's weakest point which he believed to be at the back of the neck." Don pointed to the back of his own neck.

"Believe to be?" Leo asked.

"With almost 96 percent certainty." Don shrugged. " The problem is getting to the neck area, and that's why I need a distraction so I can sneak up from behind."

Casey grinned. "Distraction, Leo and I can handle that."

Leo looked concerned. "Are you sure Casey, this guy is stronger than Hun and you won't be able to hurt him by hitting him."

"So we just gotta piss him off and then stay out of his way. I'm up to that." Casey shrugged.

"Specially the pissin' people off part, yer good at that Case." Raph grinned.

"Casey..I don't know.." April said with a lot of uneasiness.

"Don't worry babe. Leo's got my back." Casey said giving Leo a nudge.

"Yeah but who's got Leo's?" Mike asked sarcastically.

"Hey!" Casey said giving Mike an offended look.

"Nobody needs to have anyone's back, you just have to distract him. That's all." Don said shaking his head. " I don't want you two to fight him directly."

"Just do what you have to do Don. Casey and I will take care of the rest." Leo said crossing his arms across his plastron.

Casey took out his hockey stick and slapped it into an open palm. " This is gonna be a piece of cake." He grinned.


	17. Not a piece of cake

"You were saying something..urgh..about..a…piece of cake?" Leo grunted, glaring over at Casey as they tried to struggle out of the Metal foot's iron grasp. The Metal Foot had Casey's head and Leo's head in a lock and was trying to squeeze the life out of them.

Casey's legs kicked in the air as he pulled desperately at the iron hand around his neck.

"You haven't..uh…seen me…urgh..try to bake a cake."

Something collided with the foot from behind and his grip relaxed, Leo and Casey tumbled to the ground. The foot turned to see what had hit him and got a trash can to the face. He stumbled backwards, and Don took the opportunity to help Leo and Casey to their feet.

"I thought I asked you not to fight him!" Don said, "Come on he won't be off balance for long." Don, Leo and Casey took off at a dead run down the now deserted streets of New York. They heard a howl and they heard the crackling sound of a few green bolts of energy flying towards them. One hit a nearby car and one hit the ground a few inches behind Casey. The human jumped forward. "Youch!"

"Try being hit by one point blank, it's like having your brain scrambled with an electric mixer." Don panted shaking his head.

"Don't think about it just run, the electric plant isn't far." Leo said pointing ahead.

" If we make it that far Leo." Don said he was once again clad as The Dark Turtle, and though he didn't like the suit he had to admit it did provide him with a few extra advantages. More places to hide weapons and gadgets for starters. Don took out a small turtle shaped device and tossed it at the metal foot pursuing them. It landed right under the maniac's feet and exploded in a cloud of gas that left him hacking and coughing, and clutching his eyes. It didn't slow him down for long however when the gas died away he continued after them howling like a madman.

He had had long ago stopped speaking, his anger and madness was now way beyond words now. All that could be seen in his eyes was an insane rage, and right now all he wanted to do was destroy the turtles..and anyone that happened to be with them.

The gas bomb hadn't improved his state of mind any.

" I think you just pissed him off even more Donnie!" Casey said looking back at the sound of the howl, his eyes wide. " This guy's nuttier than me!"

"It gave us a few extra minutes didn't it?" Don shrugged.

"Yeah but it also gave him the extra incentive ta rip all our arms off and beat us ta death with um."

"We're here, the plant's right up ahead."Leo shouted putting on an extra burst of speed. They ran up to the building and the large turbines sitting out front.

Leo looked around doubtingly. "I'm wondering if this isn't the safest place to hold this battle. If one of us gets tossed into one of those turbines we're as good as dead."

"There is nowhere else Leo, electricity is this guy's only weakness. He has to be careful here, it gives us a slight advantage."Don said gesturing to the turbines.

"How do you even know what this guy's weakness is anyway? I mean it ain't exactly written across his forehead or anything." Casey asked turning to Don.

"I….I mean the Dark Turtle.. broke into the building where the gauntlet was stolen and downloaded the files on it. I know everything there is to know about that gauntlet, well, at least everything they put down on file anyway." Don tapped the side of his head.

" And electricity is the ONLY thing that can stop it Don?" Leo asked.

"Yes, I'm afraid so. I think it's not even the original, I think there's another one out there. A father so to speak and this is the son. We're lucky we're dealing with this thing because from what I read..the original doesn't seem to have any weaknesses."

"You talk about that thing like it's alive or somethin." Case looked at the maddened Ninja bearing down at them.

"I think it is Casey, and I don't think it's from this planet." Don said looking grim.

"Great..just great. More aliens." Casey said pulling both hockey sticks from behind his back and twirling them. "Its time we let this guy know, his green card is expired."

Leo nodded and drew his swords. Don didn't have his Bo, he would have to rely on his gadgets and his own Ninja skills. Together the three stood watching as the foot howled down the street towards them, he came at them in a virtual ball of green flame barreling into their midst…and then the fight was on.

* * *

Hun kicked the now cold corpse of Jin with a growl and looked up at his master. 

"This weasel's been dead for hours, the other one's long gone."

The Shredder barely cast Jin's battered body a glance before turning and striding through his host of Foot Soldiers and out the door.

"We will find him, it is only a matter of time. He will pay for his disobedience..and he will pay dearly." Another Foot Ninja ran up from the direction of the stairs and bowed before the Shredder.

"Master, he has been seen at the city Electric Plant, and Master two of the turtles and the human Casey Jones are there as well."

Hun grinned nastily and punched a hand into an open fist. "Jones."

Shredder held up a hand. "Which of the four turtles are they?" Shredder asked his foot servant. The foot bowed again. " The one called Leonardo, and one in a black costume Master. The Dark Turtle."

You couldn't actually see Shredder smile behind his mask but his tone of voice gave the impression he was pleased with something. "Hummm..very good."

"What's good about Leonardo and that turtle dressed up like a clown?" Hun muttered with a frown.

Shredder didn't reply to Hun's question, he simply strode forward.

"Gather my Foot soldiers, we will make sure that no one, neither man nor mutant leaves there alive."


	18. In Trouble

Casey was out cold.

A metal fist to the head had made sure the hockey masked human was sleeping face down in the gravel. Leo had managed to get Casey to the side, to a place marginally safer than in the middle of the battle and then he was forced to jump back into the fray to keep Don from getting his arm ripped off. That had been ten minutes ago, and both turtles were getting tired.Leo knew it was only a matter of time before one of them made a mistake and..then something bad was going to happen. Don was on the ground a few feet away recovering from getting punched in the plastron and thrown into a concrete wall, all the metal Foot's attention was now focused on Leo and the blue masked turtle realized that if he could just keep the metal maniac busy Donatello might have another chance to use his device.

"Don, try it again!" Leo called to his brother and then swept the metal maniac's feet out from under him, immediately rolling backwards. The foot was almost immediately on his feet, he lumbered forward punching at the blue masked turtle frantically. Leo was able to dodge the punches, get around behind the metal foot and give him a swift kick in the back. The foot staggered a bit and turned, he made a grab for Leo and managed to grab one of the blue masked turtle's katana. He gave it a yank pulling it out of Leo's hand and bending it in half. That left Leo with only one Katana and it left him very angry. He cherished his katana, they were a part of him, an extension of who he was. Now seeing one of his precious Katana bent into a useless piece of metal, he launched into a flying kick of the type he had once used on Hun, a leap and a kick that ended in several kicks..repeated blows to the foot's chest pushing him farther and farther backwards until he hit the fence separating the giant electric turbines from the rest of the world. The fence rattled as the metal foot fell into it and the large sign saying "Warning: High Voltage."flapped back and forth. The foot rebounded off the fence launched himself forward at Leo and clobbered the blue masked turtle in a tackle. Turtle and foot hit the ground, Leo immediately flipped the foot backwards. The foot hit the ground and pulled himself back to his feet..but he was perceptibly slower than before as if he were getting tired himself. Leo realized that hitting the foot with is one remaining Katana would be

Futile as the sword would just bounce off, so he elected to continue without using it. He leapt at the foot…and suddenly found himself on a collision course with a large green ball of energy. Leo and the energy ball collided and for a minute all Leo could see was bright flashing lights, his brain reeled, his body jerked and he felt like he was being stabbed with a thousand needles.He felt himself hit the ground but barely felt the shock of the ground hitting his shell, the pain coursing through his body was worse. He couldn't move, couldn't think. Don was right, it was like having your brain scrambled by an electric mixer. Then the pain from the energy bolt stopped and he found himself experiencing another sort of pain..the pain of a metal hand squeezing his neck. Leo gasped and grabbed the Foot's gauntleted hand. He tried to pry the hands away but it was no use, the foot's grip was as solid as steel. Kicking did no good either because his feet only met solid metal.

Just as he was starting to see dark spots in front of his eyes Donatello landed on the Foot's back wrapping his arms around the maniac's neck. The Foot staggered forward under Don's weight..and let go of Leonardo. The blue masked turtle fell to the ground gasping for air and watching as the Foot tried determinedly to get Donatello off his back. He tried throwing Don, twisting in place, even flying upwards but the determined black clad turtle refused to let go. He was trying to get his device attached to the Foot's neck but the Foot was moving around too much and he almost dropped it several times. Enraged and frustrated the Foot propelled himself backwards towards a nearby concrete wall, trying to squish Don or shock him enough to make him let go. Don let out a cry as his shell hit the concrete but he still didn't release his grip. The metal foot tried to do the same once more but Don, as always, was a quick thinker. As the foot propelled them backwards Don braced his feet against the wall and gave a shove forwards..sending the foot reeling off balance. As the metal maniac stumbled forward Don took advantage of his enemy's distraction and quickly placed the device at the base of the metal Ninja's neck. Don pressed the button and leapt away..just as electricity began to course through the meal maniac's suit and body. He screamed and fell to the ground muscles jerking under the stream of electricity.

Don ran over to his brother and helped him to his feet. Together they watched as the electricity gradually decreased and then disappeared as the device shut off.

"That looked painful." Leo said softly.

"It probably was. From what I've read the gauntlet needs access to its wearer's central nervous system, and it does so by inserting two liquid metal needles into the top of the spine, just where the head connects with the spinal column. He was feeling that electric shock in his brain as well as his muscles." Don said with a grimace.

"It didn't kill him did it?" Leo asked concerned. Even though the maniacal foot Ninja had almost killed them on several occasions Leo didn't like the idea of killing him.

Don shook his head. "No, though I..or maybe I should say he.. had to walk a fine line in creating the device. Too much voltage and it would kill him, not enough and it wouldn't be enough to force the gauntlet into submission."

"That's not much comfort Don, he didn't care whether he killed anyone or not." Leo grimaced.

"No Leo, you're wrong. He may have been excessively violent, but he wasn't a killer…and neither am I." Don walked over to the prone, now unconscious form of the metal foot soldier known only as Wick. The metal surrounding his body was liquefying now and was slowly sliding down his body to retreat back into the gauntlet itself.

Don checked for a pulse and nodded to Leo when he found one.

"He's still alive."

Leo came to stand next to Don, he knelt and lifted Wick's gauntleted hand.

"What the heck is this thing?" Leo mused, he looked up at Wick's face, now clear for them to see without the protective covering of the gauntlet's metal coating.

The skin on the man's face was so brittle it could have belonged to a mummy, and his face was so painfully thin he looked like a skeleton with a bit of parchment stretched over it. His hair had come out in patches, and his lips were white, cracked and bleeding. Wick's arms were like his face, painfully skinny, and brittle. " What did it do to him Don?" Leo looked up at his black clad brother.

Don sighed. "It took everything he had Leo. I guess you could call it a partially beneficial parasite; it attaches itself to a host and gradually uses up everything the host has. According to what I've read the suit is addictive, and after prolonged use it begins to slowly kill its host. It begins as extreme hunger, the suit feeds of the energy resources of its host. In the end it will end up using everything the host has, death always follows. Judging from the way this man looks he didn't have much time left. The suit would have eventually killed him. While wearing the suit what the host can do is pretty much unlimited, he's well nigh invulnerable, he can fly, he has strength, soon he begins to feel like a living god…what he doesn't realize is that he's slowly turning into a corpse."

"And you think this thing..it's alive?" Leo pulled on the gauntlet that had attached itself to Wick's arm. At first it didn't seem like it was going to come loose, but then with a slight sucking noise it did. Underneath, Wick's right hand was a mass of bloody, rotted flesh. Leo stood and backed away. The fingernails of the human's hand were gone, as had most of the skin.

"Yes I think it is. I think it has intelligence, but it's a deadly intelligence. It knows exactly what it's doing to its host..and I don't think it cares." Don said looking away from the poor sad body of Wick.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to mass produce something like this." Leo said in disgust handing the gauntlet to Don.

"That is because you are blind to its true potential."

Leonardo and Donatello whirled at the sound of the voice and turned to find Shredder, Hun and a host of Foot Soldiers standing at the entrance to the power plant, blocking their way out. Hun had Casey Jones in one of his large fists and was grinning evilly.

"If you give me the gauntlet of your own free will I promise that you and Mr. Jones will die as quickly and as painlessly as possible. Refuse and I shall see to it personally that you suffer dearly for your insolence." Shredder said crossing his arms across his armored chest.

"That's not much of a choice Shredder." Leo said with a scowl drawing his one remaining sword.

"It is the only choice you will receive. Give me the gauntlet or Jones will be the first to die." Shredder gestured to his hulking henchman.

"Go ahead and refuse, I've been waitin a long time to pop Jones's head like an over ripe melon." Hun sneered grasping Casey's head between two huge fingers.

Leonardo and Donatello were silent, they exchanged the briefest of glances..and Leo nodded. Don nodded back. He hefted the gauntlet in the air like he was going to throw a football.

"All right Shredder, you want this gauntlet..you can have it."

And then he threw it..

Two things happened at once; Don's hand went to his belt and he tossed four small devices at the villains in front of them…just as Leo leapt into the air. The four devices went off almost instantly filling the air with smoke. Shredder reached out for the gauntlet but caught Leonardo right in the chest instead.

Hun dropped Casey to go to his Master's aid but found Don standing in front of him instead. Grinning Hun reached for Don, but he found to his amazement that his hands went right through where the turtle was supposed to be.

"Wha?" He said waving his hand back and forth through the image. Then something hit him from behind but when he turned there was nothing there. He turned back again to find the image of Don still there..and Casey Jones gone.

The image of Don smiled and slowly faded away. Only to appear in the smoke a few feet away. Hun went for the image only to have his fists pass through nothing. Getting angrier by the minute Hun saw several more images pop up around him, and he ploughed through each only to find nothing. Someone tapped him on the shoulder and he turned to find Don hovering there in mid air.

"Surprise." He said and decked the villan in the face.

Hun reeled back a bit, and turned to find another image behind him. He swung at it..again thin air. Howling in frustration he saw a row of images and ploughed into them.

Nothing.

By now he was so turned around in the smoke, and so angry he didn't know where he was nor did he care. When he saw Don appear yet again in the smoke he didn't even think, he just rushed forward at full speed fists swinging..and suddenly found his fists connecting with the very solid bodies of the gathered foot soldiers who were just as confused in the smoke as he was. He stood angrily staring at the groaning forms of the Ninjas lying around him and heard Don's voice somewhere in the smoke.

"Nice going Hun. You took out your own guys without me even having to do a thing." and then he was gone.

Hun growled in frustration and glared down at the Foot. "Well, what are you waiting for..get up and get those turtles.. and somebody find Casey Jones!"

Chuckling to himself Don supported the now awake Casey across the street to a nearby manhole. The human was groggy but still determined to get back into the fight.

"You just let me get my breath Donnie and I'll be right back in there with ya kickin ninja butt."

"No Casey, I need you to do something else." Don said shaking his head. "I want you to get back to Aprils and get Sensei, Mike, Raph and April and get them over here. Things are getting bad here and Leo and I are going to need some help when this is all done with."

"No way, I'm gonna help you fight." Casey protested standing.

"No Casey we need you getting help more than we need your help fighting. Besides I have a plan."

"Wait a minute Donnie, you ain't gonna do soemthin stupid are ya?" Casey asked raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Yes I am." Don said and turned to disappear into the cloud of smoke that was slowly beginning to dissipate

"What does that mean..Donnie!? Hey Donnie!"


	19. Doing something stupid

Don walked through the smoke sighing to himself, stupid..yes what he was about to do would qualify as stupid; extremely, incredibly stupid in fact. But as far as he could tell it was the only way both he and Leo would be getting out of there alive. He looked over at the image producer on his belt, and frowning he flipped it on. Instantly where Donatello the turtle had stood was now a normal looking Foot Soldier. Don looked at his own arms, satisfied with the quality of the illusion and walked forward to the edge of the smoke. Farther away he could see Leonardo and Shredder still locked in battle. Leo had many cuts across his face, and arms, and from the looks of him he'd have a lot of bruises for awhile..but what concerned Don the most was the exhaustion he saw on his brother's face. Leonardo was tired, and it was only a matter of time before Shredder got the upper hand and killed Don's blue masked brother. Don's gaze went to the gauntlet lying alone and forgotten on the ground.

It was stupid to put it on, knowing what it did to its wearer. Stupid and dangerous.

What if he couldn't take it off? What if it ended up controlling him instead of the other way around? What if he ended up the menace flying around, destroying the city?

Who would stop him then? Especially now that he knew everything there was to know about it?

Yet for all the danger it represented, it also represented something else.. Opportunity. Wearing the gauntlet could provide him with enough power to put a stop to Shredder, or at least stop him in this battle. As strong as Shredder was, the gauntlet was stronger.

He looked up at his brother. Leonardo was worth the risk.

Wrapped in his illusion Don walked across the graveled expanse between the street and where the gauntlet now lay. When he reached it he bent down to pick it up..and just as he stood upright something came flying out of the smoke to land at his feet. He looked down.

It was Leo.

The blue masked turtle was injured, and breathing heavily, he also seemed to be in a bit of shock, he was lying on his side and he kept trying to get up but couldn't manage it and kept falling back down. Don knelt down beside his brother.

"Leo are you okay?"

"I'm okay Don, I.." Leo panted looked up, probably expecting to see his brother. When he saw a foot standing where his brother should have been it gave him quite a shock. He tried to jerk away but Don held him fast.

"It's okay Leo, it's me. This is just an illusion." He whispered to his brother.

Leo looked puzzled. "Donnie?" he whispered back.

Shredder's voice echoed around them. He must have thought Don was truly one of his own foot soldiers because he was striding forward, holding out a hand commandingly.

"Give me that gauntlet, now!"

Don looked down at Leo who was still looking puzzled and he grinned and patted his brother's shoulder. "Let me handle this Leo."

Slowly he stood upright and as he did he let the illusional image fall.

"Shredder." He said grinning at his now very surprised enemy. "It's time you learned the meaning of the phrase. " Biteing off more than you can chew."

Don took off the glove on his right hand..and he put on the gauntlet.

Instantly he felt a warm tingly feeling as the liquid metal of the suit flowed up his right hand and over the rest of his body. He felt the momentary stab of intense pain as the suit stuck two newly formed tiny metal needles into the base of his neck and then suddenly..he could see; the world turned into a myriad of colors, and in front of him he could see heat signature, then infra-red..and then his vision returned to normal. Then as the suit adjusted to suit him; he began to feel …it washed over his mind like a tsunami, an overwhelming feeling euphoria, exhilaration and above all power. He felt like he do anything, lift any object, fly as fast and as far as he wanted. He could rule the city, the world if he wanted, defeat anyone, bend it all to suit his wildest fantasies…no one on earth could stop him..the world was his for the taking..he was a god.. and then his rational mind pulled the emergency brake on that train of thought. Never in his wildest dreams had Don ever wanted to rule the even the city itself much less the world. He wanted nothing more than to be with his family in peace, to live out their lives as they saw fit, to work on his inventions, maybe in his own way make the world a better place.

He wondered if this was what the human Wick had felt in the beginning, and then realized probably not at first..the gauntlet had just been manufactured..it had just been waking up. It had taken time, before it had taken control of the human. Now that it had taken everything from it's former wearer, it was at full power..and strong enough to try to take over Don's mind immdiatly. Don however, wasn't about to let himself be controlled by an alien hunk of metal. He knew that he wasn't a god; he was a mutant turtle; and he didn't want to rule the city, destroy it, or bend it to his will; all he wanted to do right now was kick Shredder across it. Shredder was a threat to Leo, Raph and Casey, April, Sensei, and Mikey. Shredder was the threat to the city.

Don turned his sights on the villain and let his anger override the feelings the gauntlet was trying to feed him. Just looking at the villain made Don even angrier. The gauntlet's whispering voice in the back of his mind disappeared under the onslaught of anger and Don was left alone inside his own head.

Shredder was calling to his Foot Soldiers and to Hun but Don was already moving. With the merest thought he took to the air, flying strait for the metal clad villain.. and he punched him.

* * *

It was, Leo would later recall, something he'd remember for the rest of his life. With the gauntlet on his right hand, wrapped completely in the shiny metal suit, Donatello was a force to be reconed with. He fought Shredder with everything he had, and as powerful as Shredder was, Don in the suit was even more powerful. Shredder could throw Don, or knock the metal clad turtle's legs out from underneath him, but he could not seriously harm him. The metal of the suit prevented it..conversely Don himself had more than enough power to rip one of Shredder's arms or legs off if he so wished it; and he had absolutely no problem with trying. Shredder was spending more time laying on the ground or flying backwards through the air then he was standing upright and fighting. Donatello, who most agreed was the weakest of the turtles in the area of fighting skills, was fighting the Shredder…and winning.

Shredder realized it too.

Which is why he decided to use another method to defeat his enemy. Never known for playing fair before, he wasn't about to do so now and he wasn't going to just let Donatello beat him. So the next time Don threw him, he got to his feet and ran for Leonardo; with every intention of using the blue masked turtle to force Don to surrender. Leo had gotten to his feet and moved himself out of the path of Don and Shredder, he was now sitting with his back against a far wall trying to get his strength back. It seemed to him that he had been fighting forever, and the rest afforded by the few hours sleep he had gotten he had gotten had vanished like an ice cube in a furnace. He looked up to see Shredder running towards him and tried to get to his feet..but just before Shredder reached him Don intercepted. The metal clad turtle landed right in front of Leo his arms crossed across his plastron.

"You really don't have any honor Shredder." Don said shaking his head.

"I fight to win turtle, honor is of no consequence when I have power!" Shredder clenched a fist and shook it at Don. Behind him the Hun and the remaining Foot Ninja were gathering. Hun walked forward fists clenching and unclenching menacingly.

"You're pre-canned dead turtle meat." He said angrily.

Don didn't look very concerned. He was about to retort when he felt Leo's hand on his shoulder. "Be careful Don, remember what Sensei said..don't get overconfident."

" They can't hurt me Leo, not in this."

"I know Don, that's not what I'm worried about." Leo said meaningfully. "You're letting it affect you. You're starting to act like.._him_."

Don sighed. " I'm still in control Leo. But if I'm going to win this, you can't be here."

"What…"Leo started

"Face me turtle!" Shredder said angrily.

"All in good time Shredder." Don said turning to Leo and grabbing him.

"Don what are you doing?" Leo hissed.

"Getting you to safety." Don floated effortlessly into the air taking his brother with him. He flew to a building a few blocks away from the power plant and deposited Leo on the roof.

"Don what are you going to do?" Leo asked as their feet touched the roof.

"I'm going to end this fight right now, before it goes to far.. and while I still have enough will power left to take this thing off." Don said taking to the air.

"Don, just leave them and let's get out of here!" Leo called after his brother, but the metal suited turtle was already halfway back to the power plant.

He watched the distant form of his brother hover in the air above the power plant, and then dive straight downwards. Quickly Leo put his legs over the edge of the building and dropped to a fire escape below him. He was injured, beaten bruised and totally exhausted but he wasn't about to stand there and watch while Don fought the Shredder alone. Halfway there he saw bright green light flair across the skyline. His face twisted into a worried grimace, Leo tried to run faster.


	20. Victory?

By the time Leo got there Don was fighting Shredder again..alone.

Hun and the Foot were lying on the ground in general stages of unconsciousness. Don must have used the same attack used by Wick on the mercenaries before, though the general absence of blood and brains leaking out on the ground told Leo that his brother must have used a less lethal version of the attack.

Don and Shredder were trading punches and it was clear that if something didn't happen they would be at it for a long time. Leo was concerned, the longer Don wore the metal suit the bigger the risk was that he wouldn't be able to take it off again. Shredder might not have been able to hurt him, but the suit most certainly could.

Don must have realized the same thing because he picked Shredder up and tossed him into the fence that separated the giant electric turbines from the rest of the world. The fence broke under the impact and it and the metal clad villain hit the ground with a rattle and a thump. Don was upon the villain before he could recover, he grabbed one side of the fence and folded it over the villain. While Shredder flailed angrily and tried to get loose Don continued to roll the villan up in the fence until the entire length of fence was wrapped around him. A thing green light came from the top of the gauntlet welding the fence in place, leaving the evil villain completely trapped. Shredder continued to struggle, growling at Don in fury.

Don simply turned and walked away. Leo ran to meet him.

"Take it off now Don. You've got to take it off." He said urgently grabbing Don's arm.

Don was staring at his gauntleted arm, his eyes focusing and unfocusing on it, as if he were lost in some internal battle. The metal around his body turned into liquid silver and slid back down into the gauntlet..but he continued to stare at it.

"Donnie look at me, whatever it's offering you, whatever it's saying..it's not worth your life. Take it off, please!"

Don turned his head and he stared at Leo.

"Remember what it did to the human Don, it will take control of you and it will destroy you and everyone you care about. Let it go." Leo said putting a hand on Don's shoulder and squeezing.

Don looked back at the gauntlet, and then squeezing his eyes shut and gritting his teeth he grasped the gauntlet and pulled. It didn't seem to want to come off at first, but after a second it did. Then it was as if Don had been a puppet, and someone had suddenly cut his strings. He fell to his knees, dropping the gauntlet and clutching his right hand to his body. Leo immediately bent to help his brother putting his arm around him and holding him steady. He could see two pinpoints of blood at the base of his brother's neck. He grimaced at the sight. "Don, talk to me, are you okay?"

The black masked turtle was breathing so heavily Leo was afraid his brother was having some sort of heart attack, then gradually his breathing calmed.

"Yeah.." He said breathlessly after a time. "I feel..I feel empty..like a battery that's been completely drained." His head was bowed, and his eyes were squeezed shut, he was hunched up on his knees in a ball still holding his hand to him as if it caused him pain. Together they looked down at the gauntlet lying in front of them.

"Kill it Leo, please just kill it." Don whispered.

Leo nodded and standing he picked up the gauntlet. He expected it to attack him, bite him or try to take over his mind..but nothing happened.

"You have to put it on for it to do anything. It relies on people to use it, so it can use them." Don said.

Leo scowled and walked over the now exposed turbines. He looked back at his brother, who was looking up at him. Don nodded.

Leo turned and tossed the gauntlet onto the turbine.

The instant the metal touched it, it lit up in a bright flair of electricity causing Leo to put his arms in front of his face and back away. A high pitched wail filled the air for the barest of minutes and then as the brothers watched the gauntlet began to shake. Bits of metal began to fall off of it until all the metal around it was gone, and then the black mass that was left began to disintegrate. The wailing fell to a muffled whine and then ended with an abrupt _pfft_..and then the gauntlet fell into a little pile of ash on the ground. The electric turbines fell silent once more.

"Let me see your hand Don." Leo said gently pulling at his brother's arm.

Don didn't want to at first, but he finally relented. Leo gasped when he got a good look at Don's limb. Don's hand had shrunk to two times smaller than his normal one, Leo could practically see the bones underneath the skin. The skin was a sickly yellowish green, and his fingernails were bleeding red blood.

"It'll go back to normal, in a few days." Don wheezed softly.

Leo sighed. "What did it say to you?"

Don shook his head. "It already tried talking to me, it knew I wouldn't give in..but it was in my mind searching for him." He said the last word in a whisper. "It was trying to bring him back, put him in control. It thought maybe he would be easier to influence."

"Did it find him?" Leo asked with concern.

Don nodded. "He's still here, somewhere. I can feel him, in the back of my mind."

"What did he say." Leo asked even more concerned.

Don looked up at his brother and grinned. "He told it to go to hell."

Leo blinked for a second in surprise, gave a half grin. He helped Don to his feet and leaning on one another they made their way towards the street where the battle shell was just pulling up, and April, Casey, Mike, Raph, and Splinter were piling out.

"I feel like I could sleep for a month." Don sighed as they stumbled towards their family.

Leo gave a short laugh. "So could I Don, so could I."

"You know there's more of those out there Leo. We've only won a battle, but there's a war coming." Don said softly.

Leo looked down at his brother and held him closer. "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it Donnie. There's nothing we can do now but rest."

"Rest, yes." Don said. " Rest."


	21. Epilogue

In the semi-darkness surrounding the power plant, the hulking form of Hun sat upright. He pulled himself to his feet and walked over to his master, grasping the chain fence that held his master in place he gave a sharp pull..and it came loose in his hands.

Without a word of thanks, or indeed even casting at glance at his servant Shredder got to his feet and walked slowly over to the sad form of Walter Gibson AKA Wicked.

The human was coming groggily to his senses and let out a high pitched wail of fear when he saw his former Master standing above him. He tried begging Shredder for forgiveness, begging for another chance, but Shredder simply held his hand out to Hun. And Hun handed his master a large sword.

As Wick's pleading turned into a sort of blubbering wail Shredder plunged the sword into the helpless human's chest and strait through his heart.

Wick's wail turned into a gasping gurgle and then he died.

Without a word Shredder turned his back on his former servant and he walked away.

* * *

_Epilogue_

In the darkness of his trophy room, Brydon Starling swished the remainders of the wine around in his glass, and stared at the thing sitting in a glass display case. In the room around him were a lot of rare things, valuable things; books hundreds of years old, statues dating back from ancient Greece, paintings worth billions; what he kept in the shatter proof glass case however was more than rare, more than valuable…it was also very dangerous.

Inside the case, lying on a red velvet cushion was a very large gauntlet, made from what looked like gold, studded with rubies, rhinestones, and diamonds and with a strange symbol carved just above the knuckles.

"The son was completely destroyed My Lord. There was nothing I could do."

"That is unfortunate." Said the voice of someone hidden in the darkness of Starling's trophy room.

"Damn that those turtles, I never thought such a creature could even exist." Starling took a drink of his wine.

"There are more things in the universe than you could ever dream of, these turtles are nothing by comparison." The voice said dismissively. "They will be monitored."

"Is that all?" Starling looked up in surprise. " They tossed five years of planning in the proverbial trash can and all you say is..they'll be monitored."

"They are of little consequence in the great scheme of things Starling. The plan will still continue, we will merely be forced to take other avenues. And now we have another pawn in the game. Someone of great intelligence who could be of use when the time comes."

Starling's brow furroghed. " You mean the Dark Turtle? He rejected the Son, he took it off. Do you think he would still be susceptible?"

"You know as well as anyone Starling, that once one has worn a Skcara can never be completely free of its influence. He has worn it, he is bound to us. Whether he knows it or not." The voice said softly.

Starling's gaze went to his own left arm, and he held it up in front of him flexing his fingers. From far away it looked like a normal arm, but up close one could see the subtle difference. This wasn't a natural limb, but the finest in Cybertronic limb replacement technology. Starling grimaced, he was the only other earthling besides Donatello to have ever worn a gauntlet..and gotten away from one alive. He had paid for it dearly however.

"Yes the turtle got off lighter than you did Starling." The voice said as if reading Starling's mind..which was exactly what it was doing. "Perhaps his mutant blood gives him greater resistance. Perhaps he was just lucky. It does not matter. He was able to resist the Son but he could never ever resist the Father." The voice said with glee.

Starling's gaze went to the gauntlet lying in the display case. "Do we continue with production, I can have another Son ready by the end of the week."

"No, the Shredder knows of the existence of the gauntlet, he will be curious. We both know exactly who and what he is, he has the means to find out about us. For now it is best we lay low, after all we have plenty of time."

Starling nodded.

"Then we'll wait, and the turtle? Do we leave him with his family or do we collect him to go with the others?"

"Leave him for now. He will be of more use to us where he is. When the time comes however, you will take the Father and you will collect him personally."

Starling bowed. " It will be as you order, Lord."


	22. Not the end

Lying in the darkness of his room Donatello was trying to sleep.

They had fussed over him for hours, bandaging his hand, giving him tea, and shoving him into bed to rest. He was glad that they cared, but he'd have rather stayed in their company than alone in his own room.

He had told Leonardo that he could have slept for a month, yet now sleep just wouldn't take him. He was completely exhausted and he needed the sleep badly…but his mind wouldn't shut down. He feared what might happen if he were to go to sleep.

He was afraid that if he did go to sleep, that if he let go and slipped into dreamland..that he would return..and take over. He was afraid that who he was, the good gentle, peaceful Donatello would disappear for good and the dark, violent and angry Dark Turtle would take over once more.

He searched his mind for the presence of the Dark Turtle but found none. That didn't necessarily mean that he was gone, he could be hiding, or dormant..waiting for his chance.

_Don't be silly_ he told himself. _He's gone, he's not coming back, you're in control._

Then another tiny voice inside his head said. _Do you really believe that?_

Don sat upright. It had been a mere whisper, but he had heard it. He searched his mind again, but found no presence of the Dark Turtle.

"I know you're in there." He said in the barest of a whisper.

For a second there was no response and then inside his mind..

_Do you really believe you could just wish me away?_

"No but I believe I'm the one in control right now, and I'm keeping that control. It's my body, you're just a hijacker."

_There's where you're wrong. I'm no more of a hijacker than you are..because I am you. I'm the darkness inside of you. Every time you repress a flash of anger, every time you push your feelings aside, every egotistical impulse that you ignore, every smart remark you swallow..you feed me. Oh yes you're in control now, and you'll stay in control whether you sleep or not..but one day..yes one day you'll loose control, one day you'll really have need of me; of the darkness of who you really are. Then I will return._

"If you think I'm going to willingly give you control then you're nuts." Don snorted laying back down and setting into his bed.

_You're the one with multiple personalities and you're calling me nuts? Amusing._

"You're violent, you hurt people, you said and did so many things.."

_I did what was necessary, and one day you will understand what I'm talking about._

Don hunched down in his bed stubbornly. "Never." He said.

The voice sounded vastly amused. _Never say never._

And then it was gone.

Don raised an eye ridge searching his mind..but the presence was gone.

He let out an explosive sigh and turned over on his side closing his eyes and setting down to sleep.

A few minutes later however, his eyes opened again..and he stared at the wall.

Thinking.

* * *

Note from the Author: Don't worry folks there will be a sequal in the future! I've left this story open deliberatly so I can continue it. I'll be turning my attentions to another story for a time and then when that one is done I will start work on the continuation to this one.

Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed it!

Lady Dragon Rain


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